


Archangels

by rainysunset



Category: ITZY (Band), Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Archangels, F/M, Fighter/Sacrifice, Friendship, Guardian Angels
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-28
Updated: 2020-08-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:07:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 28,301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26166127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rainysunset/pseuds/rainysunset
Summary: "Should I really join this...?" the boy asked."Of course not, you can reject this offer, but as I said earlier, the old you has died that night."The boy's life go upside down in a night, now he's a different person with different name, different identity, and different purpose to live. His life isn't his anymore after that night. He is Hwang Hyunjin now, an Archangel who protect one particular person in one particular time of his life. But his life is not his anymore, so...
Relationships: Hwang Hyunjin/Original Character(s)





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This is very experimental fic for me. I used to wrote a story until finish (or more likely) first before posting here so I can freely make any change of the story in the process, but this time I only wrote a few chapters and decided to writing it along the way as a challenge. I don't know when this will end or if it going to end, but I have already pictured out something for how it going to end. I think it would takes a little while, so I'm asking for your patience 😂
> 
> But hope you enjoy as well :)

He thought his life was over that night. There's no way he could survive after beaten up to death like that, five against one, on a rainy night at a dark alley where no one can found him. He couldn't move nor breath after that intense beating, the last thing he remember was the blurry street light that slowly fading as his conscious leaving him. The last thing he felt was pain. More and more pain, spreading through his whole body. The sound of rain become his last background music as he leaving this world for real.

There's no way he'd survived.

But then he open his eyes in a strange place, all he can see is white. The room is quiet, he's alone and confused, anywhere he land his eyes is white, no other colors but white. Then he feel the bed he'd been sleeping, comfortable. Soft. The air in this room also comfortable, he can't remember when is the last time he felt this comfortable in his life. So a sudden relieved consume him.

He's alive, once again.

The door open and 3 people comes in, one of them talking in a soft way but fast, explaining his condition to the others fast without any interuptions despite of hard medical terms he use in his sentences. All wearing white doctor's gowns.

"Oh, he's awake." The one who did explanations informed the others when he noticed the boy on the bed has open his eyes.

Younghyun, the name tag said, checking the boy's consciousness immidiately by spotting a bright light on his eyes.

"Everything's settled for this boy, we just need to tell him and get his consent." The other person informed, Sungjin, his name tag said.

"I'll talk to him in a couple of days." The person with Jae written on his name tag replied Sungjin.

But the boy on the bed just looking at them one at a time in confused, demand some explanations but can't really voicing it out of his mouth due to his unconsciousness.

"Two days would be enough." Younghyun said again after checking other parts of the boy's body to examine his natural respon abilities.

The two other guys nodded their heads then all of them leaving the room just like that, without saying anything to the boy on the bed, leaving his confuseness hanging for two days.

Two days passed with nurses come and go this room to take care of him, without really explain anything either, even after he asked them many times. They just dilligently provide everything he needs so he recovered perfectly in two days, just like what Younghyun guy said.

Right after two days, the nurses take him out of the room, walking down the also white corridor to some kind of conference room where a long white table set in the middle, 6 chairs placed neatly around it. The boy sit on one of the chair, waiting in even greater confused for he doesn't know who.

Who exactly he's waiting for? What is this place? Who is these people? Why were they saved him? Where is he now? What's waiting for him after this? All of this questions hanging around his head, circling fast since the day he met 3 strange guys in his room after he opened his eyes.

One guy from that day come inside, giving the boy his tender smile before sit right in front of him.

"We met two days ago, I'm Jae. How's your feeling today, Hwang Hyunjin?"

The boy's eyes twitch, "I'm not... Hwang Hyunjin, though..."

The guy who introduced him as Jae smile again, "For now onward, you are Hwang Hyunjin." He handed a card to the confused boy, an identity card. Hwang Hyunjin's identity card.

The boy give a quick scan to the card and somehow frigthened filling him, "Why... am I Hwang Hyunjin...?"

Jae smile again, "Because the old you died that night." His smile is somehow scary and creepy, but without make any big deal, Jae turn on the LED screen in front of the room.

A video of Hyunjin's funeral played. There are familiar faces he know from the orphanage bowing in front of his picture placed in the middle of flowery table. The smoke of incense floating around the picture, some people crying as the background music of this video. Now he feel more frightened seeing that. If he died, then who is he now?

Goosebumps.

"You are now Hwang Hyunjin, one of our Archangel."

The boy, now Hyunjin, turn his head to a man in front of him who still smiling his tender soft smile. Despite of the furrowed eyebrow Hyunjin show, Jae starting to explain what it means.

Archangel. A guardian angel. Just like its name, a guardian angel, is how they called their employees of their company, the Fallen Angel. Fallen Angel itself is a very exclusive security company, running like a secret agent that provide a security services to bring safetiness to its clients, already running for centuries in great silence. Only rich or important people know them because only those people can afford their services. And they called their employees Archangel, the guardian angel.

The company recruits their employees from any social background to be worked in different divisions, but mostly, they recruits stray people. People who has no families, no close relatives, people who almost alone living in this world, just like Hyunjin. That's why they said Hyunjin is a perfect trainee. Yes, he will be trained first for like 6 months to be ready to work, to guard real clients.

"Your appearance still fit a high schooler perfectly so you'll be on division 1, you'll be a high schooler while doing your job as an Archangel. I'll inform you later about your client after you complete your training. Any question for now?"

This is a lot to take in, and Hyunjin still in confused and shocked that he doesn't even know where to start asking his questions. He blink his eyes, "Should I really join this...?"

Jae smile tenderly again, "Of course not, you can reject this offer, but as I said earlier, the old you has died."

Shiver.

Hyunjin feel something cold around the back of his head when Jae said that, with a casual smile and eyes that now looks hella creepy for him.

"You supposed to be death that night if we didn't come and get you. If you reject this... then who are you?"

Hyunjin blink his eyes again, he can't help but gulping down in fear. Would they kill him, then? Vanish him from this world because he practically no longer exist?

"Besides, we'll pay you. We'll take care of your daily needs through your trainee period, well until you get a real client and receive your first salary. We're basically just a security provider, you don't have to worry. Just need to give your everything to the clients, including your life."

How can he say it so easily in a calm state like that? Hyunjin is wondering. Is that mean his life isn't his again? Will he be okay?

"You're good at fighting. Your 6 months training would be so much easier, you'll get client soon with that capability you have." He smile, "Ah, I really love a stray kid. They're alone, good at fighting and take care of themselves well, easy to handle their civilization as well, also an obedient." He noded his head once and scanning the boy, "You looks like an obedient kid."

Hyunjin look down his head, eyeing his new identity card once again, thoroughly. Looking his own picture on it absent-mindedly, wondering if die is better than this thing he would jump himself into.

"Other questions?"

No, die would never be better than anything. He's alive, that's all what matters. And he given a chance again, a new life he can live on once again. So he better be determined, to not failed at this one too. He should work hard at this one. He will work hard.

"If you have no other questions, sign here, Archangel Hyunjin." Jae smile once again. "So we can move on to the detail of your life as an Archangel."

-


	2. Chapter 2

It sting.

It sting so much on my leg. It hurts and painful.

"Useless bitch."

I take a deep breath and try to forgetting the sting on my leg, stand up and face him, "We made a deal... We're gonna pay at the end of this month, so why you have to come here tonight and messing up this place?!" I scream at him and he slap me right away, makes me fall down again to the floor where the broken glass scattered.

Another sting on my leg, it hurts the same.

"Right, the end of this month, just you wait until then. You have to go with me for real if you're not give me the cash at the end of this month. Don't ever fight me that time, you slut." He then approach my dad who also sit powerless at the other corner of the room. "Thank you for the food, Ahjussi. See you at the end of this month, okay? Prepare your daughter well. I want her to smell good."

But my dad just ignore him and keep trying to breathe normally despite of his shockness by the loan shark's criminal behaviour.

"Useless people." He mumbled while walking out of this place, "Why taking big loan if you can't pay it back? Really troublesome." He kick a chair as he walks away with his grumbles.

I'm breathing hard and deep, fast. I'm scared, still. This is not the first time they did this kind of thing but it still freak the hell out of me. I'm scared that they will really kill my dad one day, or really take me away with them. I'm scared everyday but there's nothing I can do other than hide those frightening feeling, for the sake of my dad, for the sake of our life. I still want to live, graduating high school and go to college, get a job and make money. I still want to live and get a better life, although I know it will be hard as hell.

I want to live.

"Dad, are you okay?" I asked my dad, help him to get up.

He nodding his head with no energy, but his breathing slowly come back to normal, he looking at my wound on my leg right away.

"Wait here, I'll bring the aid kit." He said right after he stand up straight, leave me and go upstair.

I take another deep breath and close my eyes for a full second. Ah, this is really tiring. I'm tired. It hurts.

I gulping down and open my eyes, looking at the mess that the man created at our noodle shop. Chairs are upside down, misplaced tables, broken bowls, scattered glass. Ah, a lot of work. I'm really tired. Tomorrow is the first day of a new semester but I'm tired already.

I hear a slurp sound suddenly, from the corner of this place, so I turn my head to found one customer still sitting there unbothered, slurping his noodle eagerly. Like the scene that just happened isn't a big deal. The other customers ran away already, left this place frightened, but that one customer just sit there, bravely, not bothering the chaos even a bit. He still enjoying his noodle.

I frowning my forehead while looking at him. Feeling my gaze at him, he suddenly lift up his head from the bowl and notice me watching him.

He swallow before asking, "You okay?"

No. How can I be okay with this? I'll never be okay with this, no matter how many times this happen. Who can be okay with this? I'm afraid and in pain. I'm not okay.

I want to blurting out those words but I can only smile to him, "This happen often, not a big deal."

He blink.

"Sorry, you must be surprised. But you're brave enough to not leave this place." I try to smile bigger despite of my effort to hold the sting on my leg.

He smile then, "Too hungry to leave." He continue eating his noodle, not bothering me anymore, not even the blood that still running from the cut on my leg.

I guess he really are hungry.

"Come outside, let me desinfect your wound."

"Ah, let me do it myself, dad. I'll be quick and help you clean this up." I take the aid kit from him, "Give him more kimchi and radish as a free service, dad." I whispered to him before drag my wounded leg away outside.

I take a deep breath when I'm outside, breath in some fresh air before sitting with my wounded leg stretch to the ground. I pour water on my wound to clean the blood from it and hiss annoyingly. It sore so I scream quietly, alone. My scream got bigger in the next seconds as I apply alcohol on it, but I hold it down, teeth gritting hard and I clench my fist in reflex.

I blowing the wound to dry the alcohol faster to be able to rub the ointment on it. I wait for awhile then, in the meantime preparing some gauze to cover it.

"I think you need to go to the hospital, the cut is deep. You were bleeding too much."

I turn my head to found him standing right behind me.

"The bleeding has stop." I said then back to my leg, start to cover it with gauze.

Silence until I finish covering my wound and found him still standing behind me, watching my leg who now being covered. "Be careful, the wound can bleed again if you moving your leg too much."

I just smile, "What should I do? I should clean up this place, I can't help but moving so much." I laugh a little and get up, "It's fine, it happened many times." I bow to him, "Thank you for your visit."

I go inside, put the aid kit on the cashier table and start to help my dad cleaning up this mess, walking around the shop still dragging my feet around.

Yeah, what else I can do about it?

-

  
"Seol!"

I stop walking and turn my body to see Ryujin running to me with a waving hand. She put her hand on my shoulder right away, wide smile paste on her lips, "How's your holiday?"

"Are you serious asking that to me?"

She giggles, "I mean, really no handsome college oppa visit your shop? Tell me honestly, there was one, right? There must be at least one handsome oppa came eating at your shop."

I shake my head, "I'm too busy to notice." We start walking side by side to class. "What about your holiday?"

"Just like how I was planning it, I had fun at my sister's house in Canada." She's smiling when she mentioned her sister, "My niece is so cute, I miss her already. But, what happened with your leg?" She looking at my leg and at how odd I'm walking.

"Same old story." I sigh deep.

"He came again? It's not the end of the month yet, though."

I shrug my shoulders.

"You should tell someone, really. Report them to police, for once. I mean, you're in debt but their behaviour really unacceptable! You always paid them on time, though. Why they keep disturbing you like that? Make a mess on your shop, hurting you and your dad?" Ryujin starting to get annoyed, "Aren't you scared?"

I sigh deep again, "If I'm scared then what can I do? I just need to hold it in. We're the one who's in debt."

"But still, at least tell the police."

"I'm okay, though."

"How can you be okay? Look at how you walk now!" She take away her hand from me makes me swaying a little bit because of the sudden lost of something to lean on.

I just realized that I was leaning on to her since she put her hand on my shoulder.

I pout my lips and she hold me again, put her hand back on my shoulder before we walk side by side with me leaning on to her once again.

"You remember what I told you before the holiday?"

"About you being followed by someone?"

"Uhm, that. I felt that again after I came back from my sister's house, which means like... 3 days ago. But after I told my dad about it, that feeling's gone."

"Is that some kind of placebo effect?"

She nod her head, "Right, it works! I'm not feeling afraid anymore after I tell someone about it. So maybe you can do that too!"

"But isn't that because you just imagining things in the first place? Maybe there was really nobody following you around."

"You didn't believe me when I first told you about it, did you?"

I laugh, she caught me but I still try to deny it, "That's not what I mean..."

She pouting her lips and cut my sentence, "Nevermind. The point is, it works to calming you down." We get inside the class, welcomed by overlapping chit chat from our classmates right away.

"Here comes the smart-ass parasite!" Someone greet me loud from the back of the class.

"Seol! I booked you in advance for whatever team assignment that would happen this semester." Said the other one.

Some kids whining in protest, disagree.

"Get lost!" Ryujin glare at him, rewarded by cheering from the other kids.

We sit side by side, as always, in the table right beside the window. The girls who sit in front of our table turn their body right away the moment we both sit, greeting us both, but then they start talking about their holiday and Ryujin reply them so excitedly because she understand what they're talking.

Unlike me who never get out from my noodle shop, most of the kids here know what is that thing called holiday. They literally got a holiday, traveling outside the country at least once a year, because they come from wealthy family, most of them are. This is that kind of school, that kind of private school for that kind of people. Unlike me. So how I ended up here again?

Scholarship, of course.

My parents were planning this a long time ago. Long long time ago before they separated, before my dad's business collapsed and left him in a big debt. We have to borrow money from a loan shark to paid his bank debt, so that they don't take away our house. The one and last property we have that time. He somehow got money from the loan shark, with a really high interest, settled down his loan at the bank, and opened up a noodle shop with the remaining money.

Money that still haunted us both until now.

My life turned upside down since then. I was like these kids back then, but everything just cruelly flipped completely in like a night. I still couldn't believe it even until now, but what else can I do? I'm sad and upset about everything but what else can I do? I just want to keep on living. Hold it in, and keep on living. I have many things I want to accomplished, I want to get back everything I once had. I should graduate from a good school first, and I'm working on it now.

It's hard but I'm working on it.

But in time like this, it feels harder. When Ryujin getting excited talking about her holiday with others... I feel even more sad than ever. I want it too. I want to feel it again, traveling with my parents and my little brother, like those old happy times.

And I feel left out, feel like I don't belong here, an outsider. Sometimes I just want to disappear for awhile, at least until they finish talking about it, but God knows I can't. I just need to try harder to hold it in.

Because I'm strong.

If I'm not strong, what should my dad do? It's hard for him too.

"I'll meet you at the cafetaria after bring this to teacher's room."

Ryujin make an okay sign with her hand, "Want some snacks, too? I'll order it for you."

"Just order it?"

"I'll give it for free if you pick me as your team mate at Chemistry."

I laugh in time with some kids screaming "NOOO!" as their respon to Ryujin's sly idea. They have good ears and also very responsive.

"We should stick to our usual tradition!"

"Right, no sweet act to persuade her!"

"Okay, I understand! So noisy!" Ryujin got annoyed by their screaming. "See you at the cafetaria."

I smile and part ways with her, walking fast to the teacher's room still with my wounded painful leg.

"Oh, Seol! Good timing, come here, please help me." My homeclass teacher said just when I step inside the teacher's room.

I walk fast to Mr. Park's table to put the papers of our assignment there, then smile and approach Ms. Han.

"He's a new transfer student, he'll be in your class starting from today. Please walk him around and show him places before join the next period."

I turn my head to look at the new kid and kind of taken aback a little because I saw this face just last night. He's that one customer who keep eating while the chaos happened at our shop. He's the same age as me then. I thought he's older.

We excuse ourselves and walk outside, "So, from where should we start? This is teacher's office as you know it already, there's principal office right beside it, then administration office, and..."

"Let's go to cafetaria first." He cut my explanation makes me look at him. "Aren't you hungry?"

I smile, "Okay, cafetaria first." I start walking slowly again, "I'm Seol, by the way."

"You really not going to the hospital?"

"It almost heal."

"You hardly walking now, are you kidding? At least go to school clinic."

I nod my head, "Later."

"I'm Hyunjin. Nice to meet you. Let's get along well."

I turn to look at him again, but this time with a frown on my forehead, "Doesn't look like you feel nice to meet me, though. What's with the tone?"

"This is how I usually speak. This is my expression for being friendly, really."

I laugh without a sound, "Nevermind, then. You want to put your bag first?"

"I'm fine with it."

We walking side by side while asking each other common questions, trying to get acquainted. I'm asking him basic questions about his old school and stuff like that, just like normal kid do. Being kind and friendly, I'm trained so well for that, despite the disturbing sting I keep feeling on my leg.

I just realized that it starting to sting hard again.

"Seol! Here!" I heard Ryujin's voice loud trying to beat all the loud voices of kids here.

I see her expression turn curious when she notice that I'm not walking alone. She mouthing "Who is he?" after I let Hyunjin lining up first to get his lunch. I'm ignoring her to annoyed her a little bit, focusing to the queue instead.

"You're new? Haven't see you around before." Asked the canteen lady who's responsible of our daily menu.

Hyunjin smile a little, "Yes, I'm starting today."

The lady smile so wide at him instantly, "Here's additional meat for you since it's your first day, and another eggroll since you're handsome. Fighting, hope you like it here, study hard, okay?"

Hyunjin smiling wider, "Thank you so much." before shifted to let me take my turn.

"Imo, can I get more meat too? I'm a sick person, look at my leg." I smile, trying to persuade her by showing her my wounded leg covered by gauze.

She sigh, "What happened to you again? Why you always come with wound to the school? Are you gangster?" She nagging as always, but still give me a little more food in the end.

And I just grin to answer her question about my wound, every single time, because she doesn't really need to bother it.

"Let's go." I said to Hyunjin so that he follow me to Ryujin's table. She sit with two more girls and boys, still finishing her lunch when me and Hyunjin arrived with our meal.

"Seol, when I mentioned about handsome customer at your noodle shop before, I didn't mean that I want you to bring him here right away." Ryujin said jokingly.

"What are you talking about?" I mumbled, glaring at her, "Have some manner." She smile then.

"But, who is he?" Asked Yuna can't really hide her curiousity.

"A new transfer, welcome and greet him properly."

Then they're saying their name one by one, giving him information about their class too without him even asking. He smile very politely just like how new student should do, but the girls are already dying because of it. I see their cheeks blushing somehow, their lips twitching up and they can't help but smile along with him, their eyes sparkling excitingly while the other two guys in this table just busy finishing their food unbothered.

"So which class are you? My class?" Yeji asked again.

"Our class."

Ryujin screaming "Yes!" showing her excitement, not even trying to keep it lowkey a little bit. "Nice to meet you, Hyunjin. Let's get along well." She pat Hyunjin's shoulder twice, smiling while the other girls pouting their lips in dissapointment.

"Hey, new kid. Are you good at sports?" Bang Chan, a captain of basketball team asked him very casually. He appeared from out of nowhere.

"Ah, get lost." Ryujin answer him instead.

"Right, it's his first day and he's eating now." Yeji sounds annoyed.

Jisung and Changbin finish their lunch and smile. Jisung finally make a comment to Hyunjin, "Nice to meet you. We'll gather at the gym after school today, come if you want to join basketball team."

"It's the coolest team here." Changbin added.

"Soccer is cooler, though." Minho cut their talking, kind of screaming from a table behind us. Felix, Jeongin, and Seungmin sitting with him, smiling and waving their hands to Hyunjin as the member of soccer team. "Attending club in the first day of school is too much, especially for a new transfer, just come tomorrow to join Soccer team, today you can rest at home to recharge your energy."

"Ah, stop this, he's eating." Ryujin glare at them one by one.

"Why you mad? Who are you?" Bang Chan teased her. "Let's go, then." He nod his head to Changbin and Jisung.

"Where you going?" I asked, turn my body to them who already walking away fast.

"Basketball headquarters, gotta clean up a little bit." Changbin turn his head to say that to me in the middle of his walking, almost crashing Chaeryeong who walks toward us because of that.

"Watch your step, will you?!" She said annoyed.

"Relax, what's wrong with you?" Changbin surprised by her bad mood.

"Just go, I'm hungry!"

"What happened? The semester has just begun but you already annoyed like this?" Ryujin asked the moment Chaeryeong sit and put her meal on the table.

"There's a new math teacher, but he already give us a test today. It's the first day! How can he do that to us? We still jet lag from long holiday!"

"And you failed?" I asked in the middle of my eating.

"Of course, I'm not you who always prepared." She looking at me with her glaring eyes, not bothering Hyunjin who sit between us.

"She's Chaeryeong, a bit more like a drama queen who loves perfectness." Yuna said to Hyunjin, interrupting his eating.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Hyunjin, a new transfer." That same tone of greeting again, I talk to myself inside my mind.

"He's in our class." Ryujin added.

"Okay, nice to meet you. I'm gonna eat now, please don't interupt me." Chaeryeong said then start to focus on her eating.

The girls keep conversing with Hyunjin with their smile still painting on their faces while Chaeryeong focus on her lunch. We talking more but the conversation become Hyunjin centris, and I sense he trying to be polite when he answering every questions from them with a little smile.

My leg stings more often it starting to bother me. I stomp my feet uintentionally to get rid of it, somehow moving it in place to keep feeling it, but it gets numb the more I do it. I frowning my head because it stop moving suddenly out of my control.

The bell rings and the kids start to get up and leave the cafetaria to get back to their classes. My friends are getting up too, still with their talking about something I can't catch on anymore because I'm in panic. They don't pay attention at me, just casually walking away in a group thinking that I'm following them behind, but I still on my seat.

Until Hyunjin stand beside me handing his arm for me to hold. "Let's go to the clinic."

I look at him in fear and whisper, "I can't move my leg."

He gulping down and thinking while looking at me.

"What are you guys doing? Shooting some drama scene?" Ryujin asked suddenly when she notice I still not moving from my place and see Hyunjin who's bending himself close to me.

Not bothering Ryujin's question, without saying anything Hyunjin carry me up with both of his arms. I heard Ryujin gasping with palm cover her mouth, followed by the others who gasping the same. I clearly see some of them gaping their mouths too when Hyunjin walking fast passing them with me in his arms, nearly run.

"Why why why? What's happening?!" Ryujin running along behind us, looking so worried all the way to the clinic. Yeji, Yuna, and Chaeryeong following as well, worried too, but more confused about this sudden drama-like situation.

While I'm gritting my teeth and biting my bottom lip once in a while, not sure because I'm in pain or embarassed by this ridiculous scene.

-


	3. Chapter 3

"It's swollen so much." Doctor Ahn focusing on my wound, "But fortunately there's no abses yet." She stand up and collect many medical equipments to treat my wound, "It's not yet serious, but it could be really serious if you're not treat it well."

"I cleaned the wound, though."

"Well, not enough. It still get infected by bacteria, but you did a good job. Now let me sterilized it thoroughly. I'll give antibiotic too to get rid of bacteria, it might sting so bad for a while." She started to clean my wound and I turn my head to not looking at it.

"Go to class, I'm fine." I said to Ryujin.

"You couldn't walk, how that's fine for you?!" She nearly scream, but she try to repress it.

Doctor Ahn just smiling hearing Ryujin's babble, "She's gonna walk fine again after some rest, you can go to class, she'll be fine."

Ryujin pout her lips, "Consider my suggestion, really." She begged before leaving this room.

"It must be hurt, how could you hold it in?" Doctor Ahn asked while keep busy doing many things with my leg.

"I used to this..."

She let out a sigh, "The fact that you can say that you used to this... isn't that sad?"

Yes, it's sad. I'm sad. But what can I do to that? Always the same question I asked to myself, and I still can't figure out the answer. Should I really file a report to police just like Ryujin advice? Is that really necessary?

Doctor Ahn let me rest for awhile after she finish with my wound, so I close my eyes laying on the bed. But I'm not sleeping, and my mind can't rest unless I'm sleeping but I can't sleep. I keep thinking about my dad, money to pay our debt, I'm thinking about what would happen at the end of this month, and the next month, and another month. I'm thinking about our noodle shop, money again, then my grades, then my group assignments, and my scholarship. I'm thinking about next semester, wonder if I'm still gonna be here next semester. I'm thinking about many things my mind just can't rest peacefully.

Sometimes I wonder if this too much for a high schooler but I know there must be worse case than mine out there. Someone in the other side of the world might be in worse situation, so my worries always ended by me feeling grateful for what I have right now. That's the only consolation I can get. I used to this already, there's no time to feel unfair or whining about it too much. Life must go on.

And I live now. I'm still alive. That's what matters.

I go back to class and welcomed by loud cheering from my classmates. Most of them asking if I'm alright, the other asking what exactly happen with me, they're talking at the same time, overlapping each other makes me frowning my forehead. I really want to cover my ears but that's a rude attitude so I just hold it in, just reply them with a smile in the end.

"Ah, it's noisy! Talk one by one, one by one!" Ryujin screamed to stop their voices.

I smile apologetically on her behalf, "I'm fine, though."

They demand assurance right away, once again talking at the same time, chaos once again, but I just nodding my head as an answer while walking to my seat trying to get out of this riot-like voices.

"Everyone, listen!" One of the boy walking to the front with his hand up in the air, "Since Seol is alright and the teacher's not coming, what about doing the draw for chemistry group right now?"

Everyone agreeing that idea in a pleasant way, happy. In opposite, Ryujin is annoyed and mumbling alone, "They don't care about you a little bit, really."

I just smile at her. This is happen often, why she annoyed again, though?

"Do something about this, really! It's frustrating!" Ryujin nagged again at me.

"What can I do?" I show her the most annoyed expression I can make, to assure her that I am as frustarted as her about this. But she just whining alone, not find any answer either regarding this.

"You're join this, right, hey new kid?" Asked the boy who holding a bottle contain of everyone's names in this class.

"Join... what?" Hyunjin asked in confusion.

"Jisung, explain to him."

Jisung stand up and come up front, "To make it short, Seol is a model student, she's smart and good at everything so we depend on her so much to the point that everyone here want to be in the same group with her. You'll guaranteed an A if you're partnered up with her." Jisung talking fast he sounds like he's rapping just now.

Ryujin stand up, "You guys just make an advantage of her! She'd ended up doing all the works for you!"

"Does she mind it? No, right, Seol?" Why does that annoying boy have to ask me an assurance like that?

I mind it. Honestly I mind everything, I'm tired of them who want to be in my group just to be free from working on the assignments while still demand good grades. But I'll let them, and act like I don't mind it that much in the end. They know me as that kind of person already. From time to time, they make me become this kind of person.

So I just get over it.

Everyone sigh in disappointment after Jisung called one name. The drawing still running even without me answer that boy's question. Jisung looks disappointed too but proceed to write the name on the board. I look at his hand's moving with unbotherness in me as I can predict well where is this thing going already. But something flinch in me when I see Hyunjin's name written there. I'm hoping something. Don't know what exactly, but I'm hoping something different now. Maybe I can relax a little bit this time? He's new, so he gonna be cooperate and help me do the assignment, right? Am I allowed to expect something like that from him? And the fact that he helped me just then...

He turn his head to the back suddenly, looking at me then mouthing, "You okay?"

It surely got me taken aback for awhile, but then I kind of strecth my leg and moving it left and right for him to see, to assure him that I'm fine now, and my wound received a really good treatment from Doctor Ahn.

He's nodding his head a couple times then, before focusing back to the drawing in front of the class.

-

  
Hyunjin keep glancing at his watch with confused expression shows clearly on his face, he looking around left and right, looking at the door of this study room, then wondering his gaze to the library where people comes and go. We're sitting in one of a study room at the library, but still can see the spacious library because of the glass-through wall. And he keep doing that in the last 10 minutes while I keep my attention to my textbook, highlighting important things to be an input for our assignments.

After another 10 minutes passed and Hyunjin still looking at the door in the middle of his reading, I finally sighing deep. "They won't come."

He move his seat closer to me, "You know that this is gonna happen?"

"It happens everytime."

"Then what about our assignment?"

"I used to working on it alone, but since you're here already..." I smile, "...let's divide it between us."

He looks flustered, "Ah, this is why they want to be in your team for real?"

I just answer it with a smile then we discuss about which part of the assignment he wanted to do, and thankfully, he's being cooperative with me. So we immerse with our own task for awhile, I use the computer that installed in this room, while he focus on his notebook. We work in silence and truthfully, it's the most productive silence I've ever experienced while being with someone. It's hard to find someone who can sit and focus at studying like this in this school full of wealthy kids, there always something to distract them while studying. This moment got me taken aback so I turn myself from the computer screen to check on him, found him typing fast seriously.

He's handsome indeed, his image while focusing like that make him look even more handsome.

What am I thinking?

"Should I add some example of experiments to support our answers?" He said quietly without breaking his focus from his notebook.

"You found some?" I respon in surprise because I never thought he will asked me suddenly while I watching him secretly like that. Feels like he knew that I'm watching him.

"There's a site that provide that."

"It might be paid membership." I walk then sit beside him to see his notebook screen. And I'm right, that site want us to be a member and pay to be able to access everything their provide.

But then this guy start to typing his username and password and log in to the site just like that. Well I taken aback again so I open my mouth in shock.

"How many examples we should add?" He turn his head to me, found me still open my mouth in shock.

I smile automatically then, "I mean... I know you're rich, most kids here are, but I never thought you use your money for something like this. You're a member?"

He smile, "Surprised?"

I swear my breath just stop for like three seconds. He just smile softly like it's nothing. But it supposed to be nothing, though. So why am I freezing like this? His smile is so bright like it could light up even the darkest tunnel.

"I think two are enough." He said to himself, back to his notebook while I gulping down nervously. "Your leg's okay?" He asked very casually.

Why am I nervous, though?

I mumbled while looking at my leg. I got antibiotic ointment everyday at the school clinic so the infection got better now, I gradually walk normally like I used to.

"Thanks for your help that day, although I still think carried me up like that was overreacting."

"You said you couldn't move your legs, so what was I supposed to do?"

"You could just lend me your hand to help me walk."

"You couldn't walk."

"I could drag my feet if I had something to lean on to."

"So you didn't like my help?" He look at me suddenly again.

"No, I didn't mean it like that..." I taken aback again because I feel like his face is closer by inches to me, watching me with those pretty eyes of his and I just blown away by how beautiful his eyelashes are too, but he looking a little pissed because of our sudden argue. We both staring.

And time just like stopping.

"Kiss, kiss, kiss..."

I turn my head fast and found Jisung's head on the door, "What are you doing?" I asked nervously, my heart just about to jump out, I feel like I being caught doing something wrong and inappropriate.

Jisung smile teasing me, "What do you mean what am I doing? I'm your team mates." He laughing alone still looking at my surprised self. He get inside, "Wah, Seol! This is the first time I see you like this. Is he your ideal type?" He put his hand on my shoulder so casually, still grinning teasingly at me.

"What... What do you mean?" I stand up and free myself from him, back to sit in front of the computer, "And why you come this late? We almost finish, though."

"I shouldn't come, right? I'm worried about you, because I thought you'd be awkward with the new kid, or vice versa. This is our first group assignment since holiday after all, and the other kids surely wouldn't come up just like they always do, so I got a little worried, you know? So I decided to come. But looking at you two right now, my worries are just unreasonable. You both fine studying together even for the first time. And you said you almost finish? Wow, such a perfect partner for each other!" He talked long and fast like he's rapping, one habit of him.

I gulping down again, "You can finish it up, then. Print and bring it tomorrow, don't forget the cover. I'm going first, then." I put my stuff inside my bag hurriedly.

"I'm finish too, let's go together." Hyunjin said suddenly.

Why? Why we should go together? I'm frowning to him, confused.

"I want to stop by your noodle shop." He said while looking at me who already stand by the door, he then click his notepad here and there before turn off his notebook.

"Wah, you guys really suit each other, now both of you are about to leave me just like that?"

"I sent my works to your email, print it together with her works, okay?" Hyunjin said to Jisung and stand up. "Let's go." He said to me.

I stare at him for the last time before turn myself again to step outside the room, hearing Jisung mumbling "Why I came, really?" to himself and sit in front of the computer I've been using a while ago.

"Print it prettily, okay? Thanks in advance, by the way." I said to him before me and Hyunjin leaving this place together for real.

Hyunjin glancing at me again then sigh, "Am I stinky?"

"Of course not!" In fact, he smells good. It's just I keep getting nervous when I stand too close to him.

I successflly made a little distance in subway naturally with the help of other passangers, but now that we're alone walking to my noodle shop slash my house... I surely look strange making distance from him.

And he feel it, that's why he asked that, that's why he move closer to really walk by my side.

But I dodge him again, swaying one step away from him.

"Ah, why?"

I laugh, "Just talk from there." I hear he mumble "You're strange." while shaking his head left and right, but give up to move closer again.

"But, why you thanked Jisung? It's his responsibility, though. Beside, he was late." He starting the conversation.

"Usually, no one comes."

"And you just let them?"

"No, at first. But it keep happening and I'm tired, so I give up. Just..." I take a deep sigh.

"You really are... strange. And now you thanked him because he came, when it's his responsibility in the first place. You do nothing to the other kids who didn't show up today, still give them credit in our assignment. Don't you feel mad? Unfair? You were not taking care of your wound too, until you couldn't move your leg."

But I silence to that. I know, I'm strange. A fool, even. I always think that was better than confront them and make things become complicated. I'm fine like this, I'm good at holding in and enduring bad situations.

"You can't just cover up wounds and expect them to heal. It's up to you to make it better."

But why he saying it to me?

He look at me, "Say it." He stop and stand in front of me. "Whatever things you're thinking about right now, just say it. If you're curious about something, ask."

I gulp, "Well, it's not like things will change if I do something."

"Of course it'll be different."

"For kids like you, it might be. For someone like me? Not really." I walk pass him.

"Someone like you?"

I sigh, feeling him walk fast to match my step, to be walking side by side again. "I'm not like all of you. I need to keep grounded or they cut my scholarship."

He smirk, "They can't cut your scholarship just because you try to be treated fairly by other kids."

"They can."

"No, they can't."

"They can. Some of the kids' parents are school's shareholders. They can do what they want." I said it very nonchalantly, because that's the fact that I already know for a long time.

I knew, and I saw how someone like me would end up if I'm bothering them. And I still not ready for that to happen, I want to graduate from that school. I just need to hold it in.

"That place's suck."

I laugh, "Why you come, then?"

"Responsibility."

"Right, just do our responsibility well, it'll be okay. That's what I do." I get inside the shop, found the loan shark sitting in one of the chair, smiling.

"Seol's come! Hurry and serve me a bowl of noodle!"

"You don't have to do it." Hyunjin whisper while get inside the shop, pass me and sit at the opposite table from that man.

I sigh deep, of course I have to. What other option do I have?

I see the envelope my dad always use to pay our debt to them on the table, feeling a little relieved before finally walk inside to serve him the noodle. My dad is smiling weakly before give me his bowl for me to served.

"One bowl for my friend too, dad."

My dad look at Hyunjin who's now checking his phone unbothered by his surrounding. "What about you?"

"Later."

"Stop it already." Hyunjin hold the man's hand, putting it away from my shoulder. "They paid this month debt already."

My heart beats like crazy. My heart always like that when this kind of thing happened, but now it's like beating harder. Because this Hyunjin guy suddenly stood up and defend me, provoking the man. As much as I'm afraid of what he capable do to me, I'm afraid he will hurt Hyunjin too. Why the hell Hyunjin doing this, though? He can sit unbothered just like the other night, enjoying his noodle. I just need to hold this a little bit longer, then it'll pass.

"Who the hell are you? Her boyfriend?" He glare annoyingly at Hyunjin first then glare at me, "You have a boyfriend now? You must be at ease these days because I go easy on you." He smirk, "A boyfriend?"

"Get back to your seat." I told Hyunjin.

"You have money?" The crazy man asked Hyunjin again, now standing up to be in the same height as him, "This girl owe us a big amount of money. If you don't have money then get lost. She only be a burden to you. Unless you just play with her to get... you know, to taste her body like I intended to do."

I step backward just the moment Hyunjin punch him right in the face, hard. The man swaying behind, but then start to reply him by hitting his face as well.

And nothing I can do other than move backward for more as their hitting become more eratic, more serious, radiating hate in every punch they releases.

It looks like Hyunjin is winning by how the man cursing before he storm out of this place after a couple more of intense attacks to each other. And now I'm gonna deal with him real hard in the future because of this. What in the world is Hyunjin doing?

I take a deep sigh.

Hyunjin is too, sigh deeper while closing his eyes, head facing the ceiling. There are cuts and blood on his face. A mess, really. But then he open his eyes, take another deep sigh, and start to clean up the mess.

"Let them be, let me do it." My dad come to him with a mop and broom.

Hyunjin bow to my dad, "I'm sorry."

But my dad smile. How can he smile so assuringly to him?

"School must be very stressing these days? You relieved your emotions very well. You win against him!"

"I... can't control my anger that well..."

"It's okay, it's okay. As long as you don't get hurt." My dad touch his head and pat it slowly, just like how he used to pat my little brother back then.

I'm gulping down, shivering.

"But he's hurt, dad." I said suddenly and break that strange scene in front of me. "Look at him, he's hurt." I nearly cry.

Ah, what's wrong with me? Did I miss my little brother that much?

"I'm fine, though..." Hyunjin look at me in confused because he just noticed me shed a tear. "Not a big deal, you don't have to cry like that." He said again as my crying get heavier.

I see Hyunjin glancing at my dad who just smile and shrug his shoulders before continue cleaning up, "She just need to relieves some stress."

My sight is blurry because of my tears so I squat down, hiding my face completely from them.

"Cry it out, my pretty girl. It's better to let it all out than hold it in alone."

I let it all out then, just like what my dad told me. All the upset and annoying feeling I keep receiving from that crazy man, all the frightening and goosebumps that keep haunting me because of his little touch on my skin, the terror of getting caught by him somewhere in the street, I let it all out.

I'm afraid, dear god I'm afraid of him. I'm freezing inside when he intentionally gave me light touch, but I can't do anything. All this time I just hold it in alone like nothing's happened, like it's not a big deal. I thought my dad never knew, but what he said just then... he knew. And he sound upset at himself too, because he can't do anything about it as well. It's frustrating.

I'm afraid and frustrated.

-


	4. Chapter 4

**-Hyunjin's PoV-**

No other word that can describe this girl in front of me the best other than strange. She's really one strange girl. I don't know, maybe it's because I don't know many girls in my life, but this is the first time I see a girl this pathetic, miserable, but strong and frightening at the same time.

She scolded me.

She upset at my impulsive reaction and scolded me after crying a river like a 5 in front of me. How can she do that? And despite all of that, she still kind enough to take care of wound on my face.

I think I get it now, why they chose her as my temporary client for my 6 months training. At first I feel like she doesn't need something like a guardian angel to protect her, but now I get it, what bad people she should deal with everyday. She's vulnerable. Unlike the 'I'm fine and I'm doing good' image she showing to everyone at school, she has this vulnerable side of her. She get sad and afraid too, she just hiding it well, even from her dad.

"Confront him will only make my days go worse in the future. He will come and do that again anyway, and what you did just makes him angry, he will come to me again and do it harder. Now I should hold everything harder too because of your reckless reaction. You really... what were you thinking actually? You stayed unbothered the last time he was here, just keep it like that, will you?"

I take her phone at the table to save my number there. Honestly I don't know what I'm doing. They said I can use any method I like to keep her alive until my 6 months training ends as long as she doesn't have a clue about my job and identity. But I don't know what method I'm doing is called right now.

"First of all, if he come to you again, just long press number 1. Find a way to call me right away."

"You'll hurt."

"This? Not a big deal."

"What if he come with more people? What will you do?"

"I'll come with some people, too." I hand out her phone but she upsetly put it away on the table.

"Forget it. It's not like you'd really come if I call you anyway." She stand up and walk away with the aid kit and right then I know she won't do what I told her.

She won't call me if that bad guy comes again. So I do what Jeongin told me to do. I install a hidden application system at her phone secretly. Don't know if it would help, though. I don't know what I should do honestly, just gotta do everything to keep her safe for the next 6 months. It'll be easier if she's with me 24 hours, but that's impossible. I hope this tracking device will help and make everything easier.

I got a mentor to go through this whole training thing, Wonpil hyung is my mentor, disguised as a new math teacher at our school. He'll assist me for that 6 months training, but the truth is he's not much helping. He told me to just do whatever I like to keep this girl stay alive for the next 6 months. But the point of all this training is how I adapting to this job, how responsive I am to sudden bad events that would happen to her life everyday, and how I overcome it.

I don't know if making confrontation like this will give them a good impression of me, but I'm satisfied that I gave that pervert a lesson. Hitting him release some of my stress too, so I don't regret it.

My consciousness is back slowly as I hear many voices, rushing, their talk overlapping. So I open my eyes to find Jisung, Changbin, and Chan rushing to get on their clothes.

"But why tonight? Didn't you said she will be back tomorrow?" Jisung asked in the middle of putting his clothes on.

"I don't know, she change her plan." Chan answered a little annoyed too.

Changbin hissed, "I just got home." He whining, "I'm sleepy as hell."

I look at the digital watch on the table, 2AM.

"What's happening?" I asked Jongin who still laying on the bed across the room.

"VIP comes in 3 minutes." Jeongin said and yawning then get up with his sleepy eyes.

"2 minutes." Wonpil hyung appeared at the door, "Oh, you're awake? Come outside as well, maybe you can get something from this meeting."

I follow them to the living room where the others already waiting. Right 2 minutes later, the door bell ring and we all stand up in unison. Wonpil hyung open up the door and the old man comes inside, followed by a girl our age.

"Welcome back Lia, how's your holiday?" Jisung and Changbin asked.

The girl look at them, "How many times do I have to tell you that it wasn't holiday, I participated in student exchange program."

Jisung and Changbin laughing it off awkwardly, saying their apologies right away for not pisses her off.

We all back to sit as the guests take their seats too.

"Not much different than before, guard her like you used to do. We just come here to greet all of you, and to choose the person in charge for a better communication." The old man said open up this sudden meeting.

"I see a new face." The girl smiles to me, her head tilted to the side.

"He's a trainee, Hyunjin." Wonpil hyung said, "Just gather here to understanding things."

"Ah, unfortunately. I feel like I need a new face and new vibe."

"But he's gonna help too, don't worry. You're also in the same class."

The girl, Lia, smiles. "Nice to meet you, the handsome one." She looking at the others as she thinking for the one who's gonna be her main Archangel, "I'll go with the best, then. Long time no see, Chan."

I heard some of them sighing in relieved.

Chan smiles, "I'll do my best." He bowed.

"We'll do my best too, Lia." Jisung smile.

"Me on top of everything, me on top of your other clients, really. Don't lose your guard like before." Lia glares at them one by one make them answer in unison automatically.

"Who's go after you this time? Do you have someone in mind spesifically?" Chan asked her.

Lia glance at the old man.

"Still the one from the opposition party. Just focus on the school area, the other team cover the rest." The old man explains and the kids nodded their heads understand, as if this already become their daily activities.

The fact, it is. It's their daily activities since they got living together here. It's different for every person, but the longest here is Chan, Changbin, and Jisung. That's why those three are the aces from this team. They are the most expensive Archangel, the sunbaes for the others, especially Chan. Chan is the most experience among us as he did this for a a long time, he guarded many people from many kind of profesions already, and his track record is good. That's why Lia always stick with him, apparantly. He's so dependable and clearly reliable.

"Let's change a thing a little bit, shall we? As Lia's will be Chans's responsibility, I think we need to change our focus a little bit." Changbin continue this meeting right after Lia and the old man left this place.

"But... why is she know about us? The other clients don't have any idea about us, but why is she even came to this place in person?" I asked before Changbin get to the main discussion.

"Because she's a VIP. A long loyal VIP." Seungmin answered right away.

"Very long story, but to make it short, her family is one of the reason the Fallen Angel established back then. Her family involves in many things we do, up until now. She's a great great VIP, the last generation of the great family we should protect." Wonpil hyung explained.

"So we should put her on top of everything." Minho added.

I look at 5 pictures on the transparant board, 5 lucky girls who their safety we put on top of everything, even on top of our own lives. It's a coincidence that our clients this time are all girls. They had boys too in the past, but this time, it's 5 of them.

Seol isn't one of them. She just a test object for me. Because she clearly can't afford a guardian like us, we're too expensive for her. So her picture isn't there. She's not the priority. Our top priority is Lia, then the other four girls are beneath her equally.

"Since Chan's main focus is Lia, I think we need to change Ryujin's Archangel, who want to volunteer?"

"Ryujin is... very cautious of her surrounding." Chan start to give informations, "She can feel something that out of place quickly. She often stop walking and look around to see if someone following her just because she feels like it. Recently she got more sensitive about it, you need to be extra careful to not get caught by her." He gets more serious, "But the bad people who tryin to get her is bearable."

"It's bearable for you, maybe not for us." Jeongin respon to his explanations and the others agreeing, laughing.

"I think Minho is suitable for her." Chan is done analysing.

Minho sigh, "I thought I could relax a little bit this semester..."

The others laughing and liking Chan's decision in silence.

"It's decided, then." Changbin shrug his shoulders then write Minho's name right above Ryujin's picture. "Let's cheer for once, guys. This semester is starting for real."

We do what Changbin wants, put our hands together then cheer "Fighting!" loud before he dismissed us right away to get a little more sleep before he start his morning guard routine to Chaeryeong's house.

Me too, a little more sleep before come to Seol's house.

"Oh by the way Jeongin, I installed the tracking system on Seol's phone yesterday. Please activate and connect it to my phone." I said to Jeongin before I really go to dreamland.

"Okay, I'll do it right away." He replied me from his bed in my right side. His laptop still on showing some racing game. Looks like he's not planning to go back to sleep again after that sudden wake up call from the VIP's visit.

-

  
I know Lia is back when everyone in school talking about her. She's that popular, a sensation. Everyone want to do what she do, everyone want to have what she has. To put it simply, everyone just want to be her, obtain as much power as her, especially with her magnificent background. She's practically a queen of this school, the sassy one.

So it never surprised me if after a week of her comeback she's still a hot topic in this entire building. The story of her student exchange experience is the most topic to talked about, but about this period of time, every little things about her is being discussed. Especially among girls.

"Seriously, what's so important about knowing what liptint Lia use these days?" Ryujin whisper beside me right after hearing some girls discussing it in locker hallway, "Don't they have other things to talked about, really?" She's complaining on her own while putting her textbooks to her bag.

But I just smile as a respon to her complaint. And there's also another kid that suddenly rising the popular kids' chart, Hyunjin.

Well, new transfer always get people's interest because everyone just curious, true. But usually, it only last for a couple days. This is the first time a new transfer still become a hot topic for two weeks. Yuna said it's because he's handsome, but Yeji insisted it's because the drama scene he did in his first day at the cafetaria, which involved me. I doubt it but secretly wish it's true.

"Ddaeng! Wrong!" Ryujin let herself join the conversation about Hyunjin with some girls who I'm sure she doesn't even know the name. "He's good at basketball, I saw him play once at P.E. He is THAT good."

"Oh, he must be look so cool when do the slam dunk." The girls start to get hype almost at the same time.

Ryujin is also hyping up with them while I keep walking leaving her to having fun a little before we fight against Wonpil Sonsaeng. Chaeryeong didn't lie, this new math teacher is one of a kind. Pre-test and post-test every meeting. Even I get stressed out because of that. Chaeryeong's upsetness back then is very much reasonable.

I stop in front of the bulletin board, something caught my attention so I move closer to read it better. It's basketball club poster. They're gonna do an open audition this friday to complete some empty positions in the team, but that's not what I focused on now. At the end of the list, really almost at the bottem of the poster, written 'a manager', without any other words, just that one word, a manager. So they're looking for a manager too, this time.

"Move aside, the kids can't see the poster if you stand right in front of it like that."

I turn my head and see Chan standing beside me, pushing me aside softly, jokingly.

"You guys need a manager?"

"Sara quit."

"Why?"

"She's gonna focus on her study this year. Her grades were dropping down last semester, and her parents blame on her activities as our manager." Chan sighing, "She's a perfect manager, though. It's so hard to find a good manager like her."

"Why is that so hard?"

"Well, not much kids want to be bothered by these kind of stuff, you know... arranging practice schedules, helping getting stuff for us, be present at every tournaments, scold the team and make them listen. Sara did a great job. But most importantly, not much kids want to be told around willingly."

I absolutely can't do that, right? Well, to be told around, I might be better than Sara, but to scold someone? I'm the type to let many things just pass and hold it in alone to avoid conflict. That job doesn't suit me.

"You want to try?"

"Will you pay me?" My mind change so fast after he give me some green light. Ah, I really pathetic if it's about money.

"Of course, although it's not much..." Chan step forward to speak closer to me, "Also, I intentionally watched Hyunjin play the other day, and he's not bad. He can be a good shooting guard."

Okay I don't know what shooting guard is, but why is he come even closer to me like this?

"Can you get him join too?" He whisper and I kind of strecth my neck to the back, avoiding his face that I still think too close to me.

"Unnecessary." Jisung comes from behind me, put his hand on my shoulder right away, "Hyunjin will automatically join us if she really become our manager."

"Really?" Chan asked surprised.

"What are you saying?" I asked Jisung surprised too.

"Something going on between them?" Chan asked again after seeing Jisung's face, he gets his code now, so he's smiling excitingly. "Okay, Seol. You're accepted, please come early on Friday to help us with the audition." He give his hand, "Let's get work together, Seol manager."

I don't know a thing about basketball, but I just take his handshake first. Let's figure it out later, I nodding my head to assure myself and smile to him.

"Okay! We got manager now, finally. Follow me, let me tell you a brief explanation about your new job." Jisung drag me away with him leaving Chan alone then start to explain what exactly a manager do. "Sara had recorded the administration stuff nicely, you just need to follow her work, it's easy. The first tournament' admission will start next month, so you need to get that done first. Attend the drawing event and everything...."

"I'll ask Sara about it."

"Good, you can ask her all about it."

We get inside the class, I see Hyunjin already sit on his place. His head lift up and glance at us the moment we step inside. Jisung's hand still on me and I feel a really weird feeling, hoping Hyunjin notice it and somehow react to it.

Wait, what?

But he looking away, get busy and starting to putting out his books one by one from his bag, don't bother us a little bit. And I kind of disappointed. Ah, what's wrong with me? I mean, we hang out often but that doesn't mean he should give special attention to me, right? And by hang out I mean going home together when he wanted to stop by at our shop to eat noodle before really go home. We did talked about many things at the shop, get the homework done together once or twice at the shop, and he chit chat with my dad pretty often too, he even helped carried me to the clinic on his first day here, but that doesn't mean he should treat me a little bit more special at school. We become close after that day he confronted the loan shark, but I guess it doesn't mean that way.

Besides, he's too popular.

"Good morning, Hyunjin! How's your weekend?" Just right after I'm thinking about how popular he is, some girls from other class get inside and approach him so casually just like that, and he smiling wide at them, once again I hope he do that just to be polite.

"See you on friday." Jisung whisper before let me get to my seat and he go to his. "This is not your class!" Jisung make fun of those girls while Hyunjin keep smiling and answering their questions, the girls doesn't even bother Jisung's annoying voice.

Someone inviting him to see a concert together this friday but I make myself busy for not hearing his answer when the truth is I hope he reject it. Why am I like this though? At this rate, I like him, right?

"Seol! What does Chan mean by you become his manager?!" Ryujin come inside, asking that question so loud that everybody's here must hear it.

"Oh, Seol is our team's new manager!" Jisung answer her question on my behalf, "So technically, she's my manager too."

Ryujin saying "Really?" to Jisung once and fast but then back to me even before that guy can speak one more word to her, "So you're gonna spend your Friday afternoon with the basketball team?"

"Of course!" Jisung answered Ryujin's question once again. "You'll come on Friday too, right Hyunjin?" Jisung's talking is really all over the place, though. Hyunjin suddenly stop responding the girls who keep explaining the concert to him.

He then turn around to Jisung with a frowning. What is this interesting scene I just witnessing? Why it looks so funny?

"Don't tell me you forget about the open audition?"

Hyunjin frowning his forehead deeper, I feel like he's thinking of what Jisung is talking about.

"Basketball? You said you want to join the team. The audition will be on Friday, this Friday."

"Ah, right!" He smile.

Acting, acting. He's acting.

I'm smiling. He's pretty good at acting though. And Jisung? Sly. I glance at him and he's grinning at me, mouthing 'easy' with both of his shoulders up, proud that he make Hyunjin come to join the team as Chan's wish by using Hyunjin's situation with those girls. The girls showing a disappointment upon knowing that Hyunjin already has a plan on Friday. Concert? No. Basketball audition? Yes.

"What's the deal between you and Jisung?" Ryujin asked quietly before shifting to her seat. She must noticed me and Jisung meaningful glances to each other.

"Nothing." I laugh a little.

"Then, what's with his face? Why he gave you that face?"

"What face? Ask him, though. He's the one who make that face."

Ryujin thinking for another second but then shaking her head, "So, you'll be on basketball team's open audition this Friday?"

"Seems like it."

"And watching Hyunjin auditioning?"

I didn't think about that, but hey, I am. "Jisung just made the situation like that."

"Will it be open for public?"

"I don't really know, I just got accepted to be their manager this morning, I don't know about it yet. Chan will explain it to me later. Or maybe Jisung. I'll tell you later."

"I'll move our movie night to Saturday, then."

I smile, "Thanks."

"Lia might get annoyed again about it, though. Explain to her yourself. We already cancel this twice."

"But that wasn't because of me."

"You think that matters? She's still going to get annoyed, you know what she's like."

I sigh, "Our princess. That really suit her."

-


	5. Chapter 5

**-Minho's PoV-**

It's 6.30 when basketball team' open audition ended. Our 5 clients still on the bleachers while the other kids starting to get outside of this gymnasium. Mostly girls. I never see this much girls interested to watch an audition for any sports' team in this school. This is all because of Hyunjin, believe it or not, his face really don't lie. This is just an audition, though. Not even a friendship match. He's such a powerful kid.

The 5 girls we trying hard to protect are still talking to one another, smiling and laughing, enjoying their time. I see Seol still standing with the basketball team, listening to what Chan saying while the team is nodding their head once in a while. Hyunjin still there too at the bleachers near the court, gathering his stuff that suddenly become so many. The girls gave him many kind of gifts as their support, wishing him to pass the audition and join the team, but they don't know that Hyunjin's already join the team even before the audition poster being glued on the attention board. This is somehow a good plot that we come up with, to put everything together and within our reach. As Seol become the manager, it'll be easier for Hyunjin to guard her if he join the team. And the fact that our 5 clients are actually friends with Seol, it will be easy to connect everything, we hope.

Well, except for me as Ryujin's Archangel. Because that means I should do this everytime the basketball team in court, looks like Ryujin is kind of idolize Hyunjin too (well all of them are, in fact) so she might be attend every single basketball match in the future. It'll be much more complicated if she gonna see them practice until late hour too. That means I should do this more often. I don't mind it though, because this is my job, but I'm afraid their practice schedule with crash somehow with soccer team' schedule. I couldn't present if that happen. Soccer is the only thing I can count on to escape from this routine, a place for me to run away for awhile from this crazy job I've been doing. If I can't do it too because of this, I don't know if I can still stay sane living my life. Well, although it's not like I have my own life anyway. Everyone in that company knows, being an Archangel is practically putting our life on the line, somehow sold it to them, we have no choice, most of us are.

"They're saying goodbye." Seungmin announcing when the girls finally hug each other to say goodbye, with Seol too. Seungmin stand in the shadow at the entrance accross me hiding. We both hiding for not to be seen.

"Get ready, Jeongin." Felix instructed, also hiding in the shadow at the other entrance. His deep voice somehow sounds terrifying to be heard from the earphone like this. So demonly deep.

"All of them still in one spot." Jeongin informing us the fact that we already know as his respon to Felix's words. Showing Felix that he's already stay in alert in front of his devices at home. Every one of the girls has tracking device installed secretly already on their phone, connected to Jeongin's computer so he always knows their whereabout. I can access Ryujin's coordinate, but when I'm in the middle of guarding her like this, it's more convenience if I just listen to Jeongin about their whereabout instead of checking my phone all the time.

"I'll go first." I said to Seungmin and Felix when I see Ryujin is starting to walk outside this gymnasium. I walk fast to get out from the other entrance to follow her secretly.

"My turn." Said Seungmin not long after I'm outside, walking from wall to wall to not get caught by Ryujin.

Seungmin isn't really good at fighting, same case with Jeongin. They both really good at making system, apps, cracking something with their computer, that kind of thing that required IT abilities. But tonight Seungmin need to join us as the girls go out together at the same time like this. And I sense that this kind of joint operation would happen often in the future as they are friends to begin with and hang out together often.

"Lia almost arrived at her car on the parking lot." Lia is Seungmin's responsible for tonight, the easiest task tonight because he just need to guard her to her car, the other team from our company is waiting in another car behind hers to guarding her home. We pass the baton to them.

"Ryujin decided to take subway." I gave an update too, before complaining alone, "Ah, a lot of work."

"Wow, so exciting, hyung. The moon's pretty tonight, a complete full moon." Jeongin mocking and cheering me at the same time. That makes me look up to the sky to see the full moon he's talking about. It's indeed pretty.

"How romantic, walking together under the moonlight." Felix commented, "Oh, I'll go." Yuna and Yeji go next after discussed something with Chaeryeong. The three of them will go home with their own car too, just like Lia, so our main focus tonight seems to be Ryujin.

"Lia cleared." Seungmin said, "I'm heading home right away to help Jeongin."

The truth is, Ryujin has become our main focus since I found someone following her one late night on her way home from the private academy. But this girl is so brave. I feel like she knew it well already that someone is following her, as Chan said, she's so cautious of her surrounding, but she still going here and there alone with public transportation. I don't know why. She doesn't look like she come from wealthy family, she's too carefree for a heir kind of thing. Her family is rich, though. Just like the others.

The basketball boys -Chan, Jisung, and Changbin- join us on the stream and I assume they're finish cleaning up the basketball gym already. Hyunjin's still not giving update so I assume he go home together with Seol. Something must happen for real between them. Well, we get the freedom to use any method to guard our client, but I can't believe Hyunjin really took that road.

I smile. Must be nice to be a handsome dude.

"I'll cover Minho." Chan informed.

"I sent Ryujin's coordinate to your phone." Jeongin reply Chan.

I sigh and put my head up until it touch the window, still on the subway. Not too crowded, but perfect to hide me from her. I blend well with other passangers.

"She'll get down in the next station." I said soft and calm, closing my eyes for a full second then glancing at her figure again, still sitting comfortably while looking at her phone.

"I'm already on a cab." Chan informed, "Jisung and Changbin are with me just in case."

"Yuna and Yeji cleared." Felix updated. "Chaeryeong still waiting for her driver at the school gate with some girls from her class."

"Hyunjin join, on the subway walking Seol home. Gotta take off the earphone when I get off soon."

"Walking Seol home?!" Jisung tease him, "You guarded her, not walking her home! Yah, don't you guys think something's really happening with them?"

"So what? You jealous?" Changbin is now teasing Jisung instead, laughing excitingly.

"I mean... I'd do it like him too if I'm half hondsome as him, but really, in training period from the very start?! How could you think of that method even in your first try?"

"Handsome guy's privilege." Changbin respon again and I hear Chan's laughing.

"I take off the earphone now." Hyunjin said then turn off his connection.

"I heard he's good at fighting, too." Chan saying a fact about Hyunjin.

"He confronted the loan shark already. He's not afraid." Seungmin stated a fact in his usual calm state of his.

"I meet Seungmin at the alley under the moonlight. We're united, aw very romantic." Felix teasing Seungmin.

"I'm out." Seungmin respon fast while Felix just laughing.

"Ryujin's getting off." I updated after getting off too, back to walking from wall to wall in hiding, following her.

"We almost arrived at the subway station too. Keep updating."

I humming to answer Chan, then the atmosphere become so quiet eventhough my surrounding is crowded as I step outside to the street. The sound of cars honking invading my ears right away as I keep walking close enough to her, people walking from the opposite direction is helping me so much to hide me from her, but I starting to get afraid of losing her from my sight so I walk faster.

That's when I realized someone walk faster too in front of me, not far from me. I scan him fast, all black from head to toe, he's wearing a black cap, black high collar under black long coat. I slowing my steps to make myself sure that he's really folowing Ryujin, and got certain when he kind of stop his walking and looking down his head to hide his face right when Ryujin stop walking and turning her head left and right to strecth some muscle on her neck a little bit in a casual way. Or is that her way to feeling more of her surrounding? Is she feeling something and try to make herself sure by doing that?

But thanks to that, I'm sure now that this man is really following her. Who is he?

"Found one guy." I give an update, giving chills through the stream that connecting us. Even I feel chills from my own voice just then. "Tall, with a cap, long coat, all black. Following her now through the street."

"We're close." Chan said and I hear Jisung gulping down nervously.

I frowning my forehead when Ryujin suddenly turn to the opposite way from her house' route.

"The route's changing." Jeongin informed, sounds taken aback.

"She turn the opposite way."

"Why?" Changbin's voice get higher caused by the nervousness.

The all-black-guy turning his head to the left like he's giving a sign. I follow his sight and found another guy on the other side of the street, also walking in hiding.

"Two guys."

Jisung cursed.

The alley Ryujin walking gets darker and darker, and I'm confused as hell. Why she took this route, though?

She stop walking suddenly.

Why?

I can't even inform that to the others because I hold my breath. This moment is so nerve-wrecking, she just breathing long and deep her shoulders going up and down calmly. She surely aware that she's being followed. Is that why she took the different route from what she usually took?

Keep walking, I pray alone silently. I feel like I'm holding my breath for not making any noise.

"Come out!" She scream to the air suddenly, loud but calm.

"Crazy girl." I mumbled quietly, make Chan and the others asking why nervously.

She turn around in time when one guy step out from his hiding place. It's the all-black-guy.

"Who are you? Why you following me?"

"She confront the guy." I control my surprised state, stay alert to the scene in front of me, ready for any kind of sudden attack.

I see the other guy who still hiding is getting ready too.

"Just come with me quietly." The guy reply her.

"Why? Who sent you?"

"Obey when I still speak nicely. My order is taking you with whatever way I want to. You choose, a nice way, or hard way?"

Silence for like three seconds. Silence before the storm. I start counting.

1...

2...

I focus on her more.

3...

She turn around suddenly and run, fast. That guy running behind, chasing her, followed by the other guy who've been hiding well all this time.

"Back up, back up." I said before I running too.

She got caught by the tall guy, trying to scream but her mouth is covered up, her hands can't move as the guy gripping it hard. The other guy get in the scene, holding her other hand trying to tie it together, but Ryujin moving her body here and there to fight.

"Back up. I'm exposed." I said before finally get out from my hiding place, approach them right away, and grab one of the guy to pull him away from her.

"We're close, hold on." Chan said but I can't focus on him anymore as I start fighting them.

Two against one.

Not quite fair, I got hit in the end, it sting so bad on my face, I'm swaying away. The tall guy got me lying on the ground, we're rolling for awhile until our hands somehow hold each other in some kind of tight lock, me still on my back laying on the ground with him pressing his body on me breaking my every bones, our eyes met and I get frightened right away. Those eyes radiating dark, nothing but dark from them. Suddenly I feel so afraid, not sure of what, of death? He looks like he's so capable to kill me.

"Run." I said gritting my teeth, "Quick." I hold him as hard as I could, Ryujin get up nervously and run.

The other guy also stand up from the ground, chase Ryujin right away. The only thing I can do now is praying that the she running fast enough from him while I'm holding this one with the last strength I have.

I hear footsteps, become louder and faster in seconds and I feel relieved when someone finally grab this guy away from me, he's beaten up right away.

"That way." I point at the even darker alley where Ryujin ran into. Chan and Changbin running there while I breathing hard seeing Jisung beating the guy.

But that guy is strong and clever. In a minute he ruled the game again, Jisung got hit. Just when I thought he's gonna hit Jisung again, he choose to stop and turn around, run away to the opposite direction, leaving us. I try to get up but my body feels like falling apart, already had trouble breathing.

I'm tired.

And sleepy.

But I can't sleep here, so I try to get up, feeling Jisung's hands all over me helping me to get up. I hear footsteps again. It's them again, Chan and Changbin, looking around in confused because they realized they just lost the guy and just running in circles as they spot me again with Jisung. Ryujin walk behind them, fast and approaching me right away until she stand right in front of me.

"What's with you?!" She asked with glaring eyes.

"Huh?"

"What are you doing here? How can you all be here?!" She take her time glancing at us one by one.

"My house is near..." I said in between of my heavy breathing.

Ryujin glaring at the others demand some explanations.

"We just passing by and see him got beating up." Jisung make excuse in the middle of his hard breathing. Everyone's breathing hard and fast right now.

Ryujin's face got confused but she slowly become calmer. Her breathing still hard and fast her chest still moving up and down, but her gaze become calmer.

"What happened exactly? You got robbed?" Jisung start to acting up. "Did you lost something?" He eyeing Ryujin up and down in worried.

We all eyeing her, looking at her as we demand her explanation but she just staring at us in confused. She close her eyes in the end, take a really deep breath then touch her face with both of her hands. I scanning her, her clothes are messed up as well as her hair. There's a scratch on her face too, on her left cheek.

Chan give us a code through his eyes and the movement of his forefinger then pull out his phone, put it to his ear, "Hello, police station?"

Ryujin snapped herself and grab Chan's phone and turn it off right away. "Nothing lost."

"Then what was that?" Chan asked her.

She look confused again but now she's contain herself, "First of all, let's take care of your wound first." She look at me, at my face with blood here and there, for more accurate. "Follow me, I know a fast shortcut."

-


	6. Chapter 6

**-Ryujin's PoV-**

Of course Seol is surprised when she see us come to her shop suddenly at night with a wounded guy among us, but I'm as surprised as her now as I found Hyunjin sitting there with a bowl of noodle on the table. Are they really in that kind of relationship? Because she didn't said anything about Hyunjin when we separated hours ago after the open audition. I mean, I know they become close after that first day he carried her to the school clinic, and even closer after they got into the same group for Chemistry, but she never said that they're in relationship. Although Seol isn't the type to tell everything from her life to her friends, but really? After me and the others hyping up about Hyunjin since day 1?

"What happened?" She asked in worried.

"Ryujin almost got robbed, we passed by and helped her." Changbin is the one who answered her question.

It wasn't what happened, though. That bad guys had no intention to take anything from me, they want to get me, take me to wherever they ordered by I don't know who.

Hyunjin continue slurping his noodle like it's not a big deal. Hearing that slurping sound, Jisung shifted to sit beside him, take his bowl after he finish and slurp his noodle.

"Wait, I bring the aid kit."

"But, what are you doing here?" I asked Hyunjin in time with Chan's loud voice that asking one bowl to Seol's dad.

"I want one, too." Jisung said as best as he could in the middle of chewing his food, his one hand is up in the air.

"Me too, Ahjussi." Changbin's in too.

"Excuse me, I need to clean my face first." Minho said then walk to Seol's dad, asking where the toilet is, passing by Seol who tell him to clean the blood very thoroughly.

"So what are you doing here?" I asked Hyunjin one more time.

"Having dinner?" Hyunjin replied in confused like he emphasizing 'what's wrong with me eating noodle at my friend's noodle shop?'

"But are you okay?" Seol asked worriedly to me.

"They didn't get anything. These guys appeared in a REALLY right timing, as if they know that scene will gonna happen to me." I said and Jisung choke a little.

I scanning him, and the others one by one. It was strange. I have this strange feeling that can't be distinguish even after all the chaos and terrifying moment passed. I saw Minho at the subway, I'm sure of it. I clearly saw him sitting there among the passanger, and I still sure he's the one who following me just then. Until that tall guy came out suddenly out of nowhere made me taken aback because I was hoping to see Minho, not him.

What is this?

Minho came out in the end, to help me. And he did a really pretty job fighting the tall guy so I could run away. But another surprising thing happened, Chan and Changbin chased us out of nowhere, made another bad guy who was chasing me changed his mind and ran away instead. Then there was Jisung with Minho when we got back.

What was that?

Was that all really a coincident? Did they really just passed by when they saw me nearly kidnapped by those two guys?

Minho got back from the toilet with a cleaner face, Seol's dad putting down three bowls of noodle very casually, like he saw this kind of scene often. Seol approach Minho and start to disinfect his wound with alcohol very carefully.

I sigh deep and move to a chair beside Minho and start copying what Seol did to him while the other guys start slurping their noodle eagerly. Chan's say, "Delicious." in a very soft way to himself, happy. Changbin nodding his head a couple times to agreeing Chan's word. Hyunjin looking at Seol's every moves, to her hands that working on Minho's face very carefully.

"Are you both really should do this together at the same time? It's kind of uncomfortable." Minho whisper when we start to put an ointment to his wound.

"I'll let her do it alone, then." I stop doing it, noticing Hyunjin who still watching Seol. "Thanks, by the way." I said to Minho quietly.

"It's okay, not a big deal." He smile a little.

"What are you doing walking the street at night alone, though?" Changbin asked.

"What's wrong with walking the street alone? What really wrong is that two bad guys who attacked me. People should have freedom to walk around the street at night and feel safe! Something is wrong with security system in this country." I start to blabbering and the other three doesn't even interested to keep the conversation going, focusing on their food instead.

"You have scratch on your face too, Ryujin."

I pull out a mirror to check it, hiss annoyingly before start to disinfect it with alcohol.

"You didn't treat your own wound this good back then." Hyunjin suddenly let out a comment while we were in silence to focus on our own thing. His voice sounds so soft in those silence.

"What wound?" I eyeing Hyunjin and Seol back and forth.

A group of customers come in and sit in the other corner of the room, conversing to one another before order the food. This room become more lively in an instant.

"Wound on her leg." Hyunjin still replied with his calmness.

"And how do you know?"

"Just... just like what happened with you all. I coincidentally saw it." He smile, "There are so many coincident events happen in the world. Sometimes we just need to take it as it is instead of questioning it. If it's good, just be grateful for it."

Is he teasing me? "That's why I thanked him just then, right?"

"Right, good job." He smile again.

"Is he always that sentimental?" I asked Seol who just smiling to reply my question. "Also, aren't you guys together too often these days? Are you hiding something from me?"

"What do you mean?" Seol's tone of voice rise up a little bit. "I'm done." She said after done putting the last band aid on Minho's face.

"Minho, try this." Chan give him his bowl to Minho who received it gracefully.

"Seol, why you never told me that the food here is this good? Why only Hyunjin know about this place?" Jisung added, somehow supporting my question, shifting the conversation to that topic fully.

"You never ask!" Seol replied like she's been wrongly accused.

"Seol isn't the type to tell everyone about her life. Why should she tell you about her shop?"

"That's why I asked why Hyunjin, the new transfer, know it while we don't?"

"Right. Why is like that, Seol?" I asked her.

"He's our loyal customer. He know this place even before he know you guys."

"Oooh, that's why you guys are close right away, even at the first day?" Changbin jump in the conversation.

"I caught them nearly kiss too the other day."

Me and Seol talking loud because of that information Jisung just said, our words are overlapping. Me demand him to tell it more, in detail, while Seol keep denying it nervously. The others frowning their forehead, Minho even close his eyes annoyingly. But the male lead star, Hyunjin, just slurping down his noodle again without bother it, compete with Chan instead to be first to finish the bowl.

I decided to sleep in Seol's house. It's not the first time, we slept over many times, with the other girls too, but this time it happened suddenly just like that. It's late and I still feeling kind of traumatized by what just happened, so I decided to sleep here. I called my mom already and she understand so here I am, sleeping beside her on the floor. Strange that Seol's room always feel warm eventhough we sleep on the floor.

"So you and Hyunjin in relationship or what?" I asked quietly, I know she's not sleeping yet.

"We're not."

"Yet...?"

She get silence.

"You two suit each other."

She turn her head to look at me, "Don't lie." She laugh a little.

"Well, not to the point that you'll be like a perfect couple everyone envy so much, but you looks good together."

She laugh again, "Just sleep, aren't you tired? You must be surprised."

"I'm frightened." I shaking my head when the image of that guy's hand covering my mouth flash again in my mind, I'm shivering right away, goosebump.

Seol hold me then, patting my shoulder slowly.

"But you know what's strange? I think it's better to tell you now before my memory flipping here and there... Before that happened, I saw Minho on the subway. He was sitting far from me but I saw him getting off in the same station where I get off. That was the first time I feel like someone is following me. And I'm sure it was him. I am certain, even right now, it was him. That's why I bravely walk to the opposite direction from my house, I bravely called him out to exposed himself. I thought I would see him, but then the strange guy appeared instead."

Seol is silence for awhile, processing my words, "Are you really really, like, REALLY sure it was him you saw on the subway? Not just someone who look like him?"

"You don't believe me again, do you?"

"I mean... I'm not in your position, that's why..."

"I get it. It's hard to believe."

"But, did what just happened is related to what you keep telling me these days? That you feel like someone is following you?"

I thinking hard, "Right. For awhile, I'm not feeling that again, though. Like I told you, after I told my dad about it, the feeling is gone. Truthfully, I feel so at peace this week. Could it be that bad guy who were following me all this time?"

"Or Minho?" She asked out of nowhere.

"Why you consider Minho in the first place? Tell me honestly, you feel kind of strange too, right?"

"Because Minho's house is not in the same direction with ours, as far as I can remember. I saw his administration stuff when I helped at the administration office last summer holiday, remember?"

"And you remember where he live at?! What are you? Are you have some kind of photographic memories or what?"

She laugh again, "I don't know, I just suddenly remember it."

I shaking my head, "Anyway, it's strange. No matter how I think about it, this all still strange. And the others appeared just in the right time, too." I sigh, "They just wrapped up the open audition, though."

"They must be in their way to wherever they'd be heading when they saw Minho get beaten up."

"But still strange. This feeling... you know when you feel something is off, that something isn't right, but you can't seem to figure out what or where the things started to go wrong? This is that feeling."

She sighing too, "Just forget about it, then. Just be grateful that you're alright now."

"Just like what Hyunjin said earlier."

"Hm." She's humming, starting to leave this current world to the dreamland.

"So Seol, do you like him?"

Silence for awhile, "I like him... but Hyunjin is too popular...."

I smile, caught her, "Funny that I never said it was Hyunjin who I meant in my question."

She move her hand to my face, covering my eyes, "Just sleep, sleep."

I laugh but as my vision getting darker as her palm covering my eyes, I get frightened suddenly. My heart suddenly beating hard, nervous. So I take her hand away from my face, put it back on my shoulder again in silence.

I'm gulping down nervously.

-

I running right away at the school hallway as soon as I see odd commotion near Chaeryeong's locker. Ryujin's running behind, following me. I take Chaeryeong's hand right before she hit a girl in front of her, while Ryujin's standing between them, separating them from one another, holding the girl' shoulders to keep her from coming to Chaeryeong.

"LET GO OF ME!" Chaeryeong's scream at me annoyingly, trying to break her hands free from my holding.

"Keep calm! Use words, words!"

She hissed very annoyingly, forcingly shaking my hands off of hers, then take a deep breath, eyes still glaring at the girl separated from her by Ryujin. "Say it again." She sounds calm but terrifying, glaring at the girl, "Say it again now that she's here!"

"She's a parasite." The girl said, freeing herself from Ryujin, "Park Seol is a parasite who just following you all around acting like she's one of us. She do that just to secure her place here. She get along with you to get those secret exam questions for keeping her grades good, for her scholarship. She never really want to be your friends! And now she's flirting around basketball team!"

Ryujin slap her, hard. Silencing her ridiculous gibberish.

The next scene happening is Ryujin and Chaeryeong coming at her, screaming, hitting, holding her hair, while I keep getting pushed back by other students who unknowingly here around us watching this sudden commotion to entertain their morning. The hallway become so noisy with screams and cheer it makes me feel nauseated and dizzy, I almost fall. Until a guy scream annoyingly at them.

Chan.

"You okay?" Hyunjin asked suddenly beside me, not sure since when he's here watching this chaos.

The scene of Chan and Changbin trying to dismiss the crowd become blur in my eyes as my head feeling more dizzy. That harsh comments said by the girl lingering in my mind it makes me uncomfortable. Annoyed, but more embarassed.

Is that what people think of me?

I don't realized that I'm trembling until Hyunjin finally hold me from falling. But fall, I am. My legs loose it's strength and I just fall to the ground, with Hyunjin who suddenly on his knees to keep holding me.

"Look, she's start her acting again." That girl, who I don't even know, said judgingly again.

But my head is spinning like crazy and I feel like throwing up.

"Stop it, will you?" Changbin glared at her.

"I'm the one who asked her to be our manager..." Chan's voice filled the hallway but there's this weird sound in my head that keep blocking it.

It feels like I'm drowning and all I can hear is blurp sound of water hitting my ears.

"Take me out of here." I start to mumbling those words, my head's looking down and I cover both of my ears with my hands, "I need to breath."

Suddenly Ryujin and Chaeryeong are on their knees beside me too, trying to relax me.

"Where?"

"Outside." Ryujin reply Hyunjin, and with that, Hyunjin carried me up again, just like what he did in his first day in this school.

"Isn't it better to take her to the clinic...?" I heard Hyunjin asked.

"I don't want to." I said with my head still on Ryujin's embrace.

"Now you understand why I didn't use words to deal with her, right?" Chaeryeong still sound upset, "I should've pull her hair tighter." She gritted her teeth.

"Who the hell is she?!" I feel Ryujin's chest moving up and down in between her hard breathing, still trying to calm herself.

"Not important, just someone from my class who envy my grades." Chaeryeong nearly pout her lips but she's thinking now. "But, what did she meant by secret exam questions?" She said softly to herself.

"Right, what she meant by that? She said Seol received it to maintain her grades...?"

I lift up my head from Ryujin's embrace, "How can I received something like that?" I'm whining.

"We need to looking up more about it."

"Let's ask Lia." Chaeryeong looks determined, just like Ryujin who nodding her head.

But I have no power or energy to let myself join that conversation, so I keep silence in confusion and embarassed. I still embarassed by her words, yes. I hope I'm not the type to mind what other people think of me, but I'm not. I mind every single one of it, and she just blurted it all out to my face, so now I feel more embarassed about myself. I'm poor and I'm a parasite. She's right. What am I doing hanging around these heirs? I should've known my place.

So I take a deep breath and looking around, searching my bag before get out of here. I want to be alone for awhile, I am too ashamed to hang around them now. I look at Hyunjin who has my bag on his shoulder, watching me, waiting for my next move. I stand up and approach him, forcefully take my bag from him and walk away without speak anything. I feel Ryujin and Chaeryeong shaking their heads left and right to Hyunjin eventhough I didn't really see it, send him a signal to not bother me for awhile, because they know I need some space when this kind of thing happened. It's not the first time after all, but I still handle this like a child everytime it happened. I'd turn to someone else, hiding myself from everyone out of shame because of my situations.

I'm just too different from them.

I see Chan and Changbin walking to our direction and I really don't want them to see and talk to me so I looking down, trying to keep walking and not bothering them. But Chan stop me before I really passing him.

"We have practice today."

"I know, I'll be there." I shake off his hand on my elbow.

"And what about our schedule for this semester? We need the details."

"I'll email it later." I reply coldly then leave completely.

And my mood still down even at lunch break. I rejected Ryujin's offer to go to cafetaria and hide in the library instead. Well, I have to send email to every members of basketball team anyway, so I made it an excuse to detach myself from them. And Ryujin give me space that I need, as always. She understand, she knows that I'll be back to my usual self again after some times. It's just my way to get rid of this unpleasant feelings in me.

I take a deep sigh alone after done sending those emails, sitting in front of the monitor, feeling the emptiness of the library as most students eat their lunch right now, I spacing out. The sound of email received at my inbox brings me back to this current world. It's Hyunjin, replied my email about basketball team' schedule.

_How about lunch? Aren't you hungry?_

I look around but still found the library empty, only two librarians sitting in front of information desk.

_Not in the mood to eat._

_You mean not in the mood to eat with the others? I have kimbap if you want to eat alone. Get out._

I freeze for a moment but decided to turn off the computer and get out of here, found Hyunjin already standing showing me a plastic bag, two triangular kimbap there as I can see it through the transparant plastic.

We ended up sitting outside, under a tree near basketball gymnasium, still in silence starting to eat the kimbap.

"I'm not like that." I said suddenly feeling the urge to explain myself.

"What?" He asked in the middle of his eating.

"I'm not hanging out with them just to keep my grades good. And I don't received that secret exam questions she talked about."

"Who cares?" He gulping down, "Who cares if you did that? You just trying to survive."

"But I'm not like that!" My voice get higher.

"Ah, I know!" He's rising his voice too, get irritated, "All of your friends know it, too. So what are you worrying about? They don't believe what the girl said either, they trust you completely, so what are you worrying about? Why you make distance like this?"

We look at each other.

"Because I'm ashamed of myself."

"You didn't make any mistake, why you ashamed?"

"Because I'm not like them, I'm on different place, I'm just too different from them."

"Sure you are, then what?"

"You don't know. You don't know how it feels because you're one of them. You don't know how it feels to be left out of the conversations when they talking about things I never have. It feels like I don't belong anywhere, and I just want to diseappear. And when they awkwardly realized they unintentionally leaving me behind then suddenly change the topic just to make me feel good, to make there with them again.... I actually hate it. I feel like a loser, I want to disappear even more. You won't know, you never be in that situation. You never know how to feel like trash, ashamed of yourself because you can't do much to change a thing in your life, you never know how it feels. It's awful."

"Then why you here? What are you doing here?"

I look away from him, feeling more upset because he gets the point. What am I actually doing here? If it feels this bad and awful why am I here? Why should I hold it this bad? I can just let it go, though. But I want it to change, I want my life to change a little bit, so I need to be here. Just for a little bit longer. I need to graduate from here and secure that scholarship to college. That's my first step to hopefully change a thing.

"Because I'm trying to change a thing." I said softly to myself. Right, I'm here to change a thing.

"Then hold it in more." We're looking at each other again, "Hold on a little longer." He looks so soft, dependable, and genuine, "I'll cheer for you." he smile, "Just like how the others do."

I'm biting my lips inside my mouth while my eyes still looking at him in disbelieve, wondering about since when he become this close and comfortable with me for saying those things of comfort like that.

"I kind of hate you." I said then stand up and walk away from him.

"Because I'm right?" I feel him grinning behind me, following my steps to cafetaria.  
  


"Oh, SEOL!!" Ryujin scream the moment she saw me, she waving her hands excitingly. I see the other girls are there too, smiling welcoming me.

"I'm so hungry." I said with a little smile.

"Of course you are! What are you thinking skipping lunch like that?!" Chaeryeong said.

"You must use your brain at its full capacity and it takes a lot of energy, of course you're hungry, you girl." Yeji said and the others agreeing, start to talk at the same time.

"Sit here, eat my food first. I got you some more." Even Lia looks happy and surprised at the same time for seeing me come to them this soon, unlike the usual.

"Yah, eat this instead, I didn't touch it yet, gonna get another one for myself." Changbin said out of nowhere, put his meal on the table in front of me, giving it to me. "Come on Hyunjin, let's take the meal together."

"By the way, Hyunjin! Good job!" Ryujin gives him a thumb, "I approved!"

I'm frowning my forehead to her, "What are you saying?"

"I approved too!!!" Chaeryeong scream to Hyunjin too, who turn himself already because Changbin kind of drag him away from here.

"I am not! You hear that, Hyunjin? I'm not approved yet!" Yeji and Lia told him in unison. Yuna aggreeing them, laughing.

But I start to eat my lunch instead, feeling relieved suddenly.

And I feel good.

-


	7. Chapter 7

_**-Hyunjin's PoV-** _

"Is that just your assumption?" Chan asked Lia in a serious tone of voice.

"No, it's true."

"Prove?"

Lia get silence for like seconds before open her backpack and pull out many bundles of print-out, "I got it many times."

Han gasping while checking on it, "These are really our exam questions!"

Lia throw the other one on the table, "For the upcoming exam."

More people gasping their mouth.

"I got this from my parents before every exams and 90% of those questions made it to the actual exam, precisely. That annoying girl told the truth. This is the secret exam questions she talked about. Very much illegal, but thanks to her dumbness that blurted it out these things, now I make myself sure that there are many students who secretly got this before every exams."

Jeongin gasping louder, still looking at those pile of papers in amazed. "Can I have it, too?" He said unknowingly.

Lia just looking at him blankly, looking like someone who lost her soul, confused between feeling powerful because she's one of the kid who got that leaking exam questions or ashamed because she just confessed to us that she's cheated indirectly in every exams all this time.

But then she grip herself back and do a self defense, "I didn't know it at first. I thought it just like a bunch of random questions my parents got from my private tutor. But after some times, I realized that the questions are too similar, they were not even change the numbers to differentiate it. This is really the actual exam questions. And it has been circulating around school for a very long time, I believe."

"But why you tell this to us now?" Minho asked in another serious manner.

"Find out who did this." Lia said with no burden at all, as always.

"This is not our job." Chan step in right away. "We're just here to protect our clients."

"Then..." She tilted her head, "We're going to find out ourselves, you guys can just do your job and protect us if something happen."

"Wait, who do you mean by 'us' in your sentence?" Jisung asking the important question.

"Who else?" Lia smirking, "All of your clients, my friends. Including Seol." She's looking at me for no particular reason.

"You girls already talk about this among yourselves? And they agreed?" Seungmin asked with an unbelievable tone. Even Seungmin think this plan is ridiculous.

"Not yet, but they will agree. Seol absolutely will agree if she know about this, she wrongly accused for this. If Seol agree, Ryujin will be in automatically. If it's about Seol, she will down without much thinking. The rest will follow Ryujin easily, too. It's worth to try."

"But why you do this? Why now?" Minho asked again. The most logic man, Minho. Never do something without a strong purpose. "You get benefit from this leaked questions, so why?"

"It's not my intention to get benefit from this!" Lia answered annoyingly at Minho. "Besides, it's wrong, okay? No matter how it benefited me, it's wrong. And it harms the wrong person. Seol didn't know anything about this, but she got hurt because of this. We need to stop this."

Some of them seems can't hide their surprised feeling upon hearing that act of kindness from Lia. She's known for being Princess all this time, a heir, who doesn't give a vibe of kind and considerate person.

"Are you bored?" Chan's smirking.

Lia smirking at him too, "You know me so well, Chan-ie. That's why I like you the best." Then she set her expression back to normal, intimidating. "Besides, I think you guys seems too relax these days. You need something to work out a little bit, aren't you?"

Changbin sigh, "We just dodging a danger, though."

"Ah, right. Ryujin's stalker..."

"Looks like it came from the opposite party, you know, her dad made some enemies back then to be on his position right now."

"I never thought they will really attacking Ryujin, though. They must be desperate as the election is near and public still in love with her dad."

"But we got it covered, don't worry." Jisung is bragging.

"You should!" She intimidate us again.

"Oh, Lix arrived." Jeongin change the topic very smartly before Lia start her nagging about the way we get our job done.

"That jerk is really the real real jerk. How can he still linger around Yuna even after she rejected him so many times? And now he become what? Her stalker? Following her anywhere like a crazy sasaeng? She's not even an idol or something."

Seungmin come back from the kitchen holding a glass of cold water, "Drink this first." Felix take it and drink it immediately.

"You're in charge of Yuna now?" Lia asked a little surprised.

Felix nod his head while Lia tilting her head smiling, "Why?" He asked because he sense something.

Lia keep her smile, "No, suddenly it becomes more interesting."

"Don't think about do something weird and ruin this operation." Chan warned her.

"You should do something first about that fangirl of yours! She's the reason why I'm here today! If she didn't made a mess in the hallway yesterday, I won't bother to come here in the first place. Now everyone in the school is curious about this illegal exam questions because of her!"

So I guess she's here not really because of Seol?

"What is she talking about?" Felix mumbled to Seungmin and he explain it quietly to him.

"She's jealous of Seol because Seol is our manager now and can flirting with Chan freely?!" Jisung asking in unbelievable tone, nearly laugh. "Didn't she know that Seol is close with Hyunjin instead?"

"She's Chan hardcore fans, and knowing the fact that Chan chose Seol instead of her to be our manager is probably rise a suspicion about Chan's feeling to Seol." Changbin throwed out an assumption.

I don't know why but they always get excited if they talking about girls.

Jisung is really laughing now, "But Seol and Hyunjin can be called a couple already, though. Everyone acknowledge that."

"I'm not, though." Minho suddenly interrupted.

"Me too." Lia joined.

"They almost kiss!" Jisung insisted.

"Hey!" I finally make some noise.

"No?"

"It's not." I assured all of them.

"But I think many things become easier because of your closeness with Seol." Chan said again.

"Acknowledge." Lia agreed, "Just don't do it too seriously, okay? You'll be gone in 5 months, Seol will hurt." She said it so easily like it has nothing to do with her personally. The fact, it is. It has nothing to do with her life.

And yes, I'll be gone in 5 months, whether I pass this test or not, I'll be gone. No guarantee that I'd join this team even if I pass this 6 months training, so yeah, just like she said, I shouldn't do it too seriously. I should remind myself everytime Seol's smile start to strike me, and it happens more often these days. Am I in trouble?

No, it's not serious.

"I'll inform you guys as soon as the others agree to do this. We'll make a plan first then you can think of your strategy to protect us. It's gonna be so much fun." Lia smile before she excuse herself to leave.

"I'll tell you if I found something along the way." Said Wonpil hyung who keep his silence all this time, he already in for this operation. It can be easier, though? He's our math teacher, maybe that fact alone can be a good help to trace whose exactly behind this fraud.

"And don't tell anything to my parents. They absolutely would against this idea and stop this operation if they knew." Lia gave us one last warning before really leaving our home with an exciting smile.

Somehow that exciting smile of her is annoyed me without reason.

"You're gonna do it as she say?" Jisung asked Chan.

"Do I have a choice?"

The others shaking their heads.

"Just pray that it won't be danger to our main job."

"What if some bad things happen while they're in the middle of doing that mission?"

Silence for awhile, "We'll figure it out, just like we always do." Chan said determined.

Experienced. It radiates through his eyes.

"I somehow nervous, though?" Jeongin said suddenly, breaking the silence.

"Just make sure everything's ready. All our equipments need to be in stand-by mode all the time the moment the girls start their mission."

I sigh, "Will they be able to form a plan, though?"

But Chan look at me in a really serious deep gaze, "They capable. They got money and brain, trust me, they can."

-

I come home and found the others already sitting in one of the table at my noodle shop. All of them no exception, bowls already empty on the table as they finished eating. They're waiting for me to discuss this serious matter about illegal exam questions that Lia confessed receiving all this time. Of course we surprised at her confession and felt kind of betrayed somehow, but after she explained her situation and decided to do something about this, we become cool. And agreed to really find whose behind this.

"Of course you come home with Hyunjin." Ryujin said the moment she saw Hyunjin behind me.

"I always eat here after practice, though."

"Of course." Ryujin teased him while Yeji ask, "How's today's practice?"

"It went well." Hyujin answered with a shrug shoulders, sit on different table from them.

"You guys gonna do a match soon?" Yuna asked this time.

"Friendship match with East High, gotta keep the tradition." I said to Yuna before tell my dad to give one bowl to Hyunjin.

My dad smiling understand it already, already got used to Hyunjin's presence in this shop every now and then. He even add radish in advance for the kid as he learned already that Hyunjin likes it a lot. While I just grab a glass of cold water for me. I'll eat later.

"So who has a plan?" Asked Ryujin to start this meeting.

"I still can't think of any plan other than asking Lia's parents about it." Chaeryeong started.

"Me too. There are no way to start anything except that, don't you think?" Yeji replied.

"Should we really do this, guys? Are you really sure about this? I think we're gonna get in trouble later, my feeling's rarely wrong." Yuna still conflicted to do this.

And the truth is, me too. I feel it too. I feel that this will lead to something bigger and more dangerous than we think. But I don't know, somehow I really want to know. After Lia showed us the illegal questions she received, after that girl blurted it out, and after we got wrongly accused about it, I want to know whose behind this illegal act because that means this thing really happening at our school for a really long time. And well, it's wrong in the first place.

"I don't feel good about this either..." I finally said something.

"But?" Lia supporting me for continue voicing out my thoughts.

"But that's wrong. If that case is true, shouldn't someone stop that?"

Lia clasp her hands together and nodding her head, agreeing my thought.

"But it shouldn't be all of you who stop it." My dad suddenly said in between placing the food on Hyunjin's table.

"Right, that's what I mean." Yuna is on my dad's side. "We can just tell everything to someone, like... our homeroom teacher, or... students council, or maybe to our conseling teacher. We can stay out of this, let the adults do their part?"

"Ah, we agreed to really do this yesterday! We passed this conversation already." Lia whining to Yuna.

"Right. You already agreed to join us, Yuna. Can we move to the plan instead?" Ryujin started to shift the conversation to the main purpose of this meeting.

The sound of Hyunjin slurping his noodle starting to become a backsound of this serious talk.

"How about we just confront it?" Yeji gave an idea and the others look interested so we staring at her, let her continue her idea, "I mean, we can ask that girl directly about it."

"She won't say anything, trust me." Chaeryeong speak like she knows her since she is her classmates. "She hates us already, she won't tell us the truth."

"We can pretend like we want it too. I can play innocent like I really want those questions. I'd beg her that I need those. We talked sometimes before that morning incident happened, and we go to the same academy too, makes it easier. I can mention the incident abruptly somehow." Yuna give an idea, shrug her shoulders, and it makes us silence for awhile to think about it.

Only the sound of slurping fill this place. I take a glance at Hyunjin who still eat his food eagerly, nonchalantly, and not bothering our serious conversation at all.

"I think that's worth to try." Ryujin is the first to break the silence.

"There's not much we can do anyway. I think that's the most possible way to start." Chaeryeong aggreeing.

"I'll do it soon and give an update to you. Meanwhile, think other possible way too as a plan B."

"I don't think we have a plan B." Lia stated confidently. "That's the only way, I'm afraid."

"You really can't ask your parents about it?" Yeji still making us sure about it.

Lia shaking her head. "My parents shouldn't know about this. I feel like they're on the bad side already, we can't depend on them if we want to catch and stop whoever did this."

"Why we didn't received it too, though?" Ryujin's asked.

"The answer is clear for my case. Because I'm poor." I said unbotherly.

Ryujin hiss hearing that and glare at me, "Not again, you." But I just shrugged my shoulders.

"Maybe Seol would fit the role better at finding informations from that girl." Chaeryeong suddenly give her opinion. "That girl thought all of us received that questions because of our family background, right? She assumed Seol is hanging out with us for that. If Yuna ask her about this matter, I'm sure she won't buy it because she thought we all received it already. Meanwhile, it's not the case for Seol. So maybe it's better if Seol who dig it from her."

All faces looking at Chaeryeong just like that, with amusement, like she just throwing out a really simple fact that we missed to acknowledged. Even Hyunjin stop his eating and thinking about it.

"That's why you always has good grades, Chaeryeong. That girl envy you for a valid reason, wow." Lia said an honest fact to break this silence.

Chaeryeong shrug her shoulders, "And you should start to know her first, Seol. Approach her very casually, in a friendly way. Or maybe you can trick her, say that you can help her to get close to Chan or whatever, set them up to some date or something. And we should stop calling her 'that girl'. Her name is Riahn, by the way."

I take a deep breath somehow, thinking about her idea very seriously while staring at her. And Chaeryeong smiles.

"I believe you. You can do it." She said suddenly.

"I believe you too." Ryujin added.

The others nodding their head and smiling too, lighting up some courage within me. I gulping down.

"Let's do it." I said in the end, fill with courage.

Hyunjin sighing deep, somehow.

It's only me, Lia, Yuna, and Hyunjin remains as the others go home already. Lia and Yuna still waiting for their drivers to pick them up, Hyunjin still here without a reason I know, chilling with a game on his phone, listening to our rumbles about Yuna's sasaeng when Felix suddenly appear. He walks to our table looking kind of annoyed then put a book on the table.

Lia smile and thank him while he sighing deep. "Eat something before you go. The noodle here is delicious." She said to him.

Yuna smiling for no reason.

"Stop ordering me around." Felix hissed a little then order one bowl of noodle and I stand up to help my dad prepare it.

"I can't work on my assignment without this, the deadline is tomorrow. You're still at the school though, classmates should help each other like this." Lia looking at Yuna, "Where we left at again?"

"Ah, forget it. Talking about him is not worth it, it's only annoyed me." Yuna tried to close the conversation about his sasaeng but then sigh after look at her phone that ringing. "It must be him again." She showing her phone at Lia, displaying random number as the caller ID.

"Just change your number." Felix suddenly told her.

"That means I lose against him, I won't do that."

"That means you end him for good." Felix insisted.

"Ah, why?! He should stop this instead! Why should I be the one who change my number?! So annoying!" Yuna whining.

"My driver arrived, I'll go first. See you tomorrow." Lia said without respon a little bit to Yuna's whining.

Maybe she call Felix to come intentionally. All the girls know Yuna is kind of like Felix. Maybe it's just pure coincidence, but no one know, and no one harm by it, so just let things happen naturally, then.

"What are you doing here?" Felix asked Hyunjin after I served his noodle.

"Just chilling." Hyunjin said without breaking his attention from his phone.

"You two must be dating for real." He said it very casually, watching me and Hyunjin back and forth before take the chopstick and start to stir the noodle.

"Ah, really? That's why you always come here after practice?" Yuna open her eyes bigger at Hyunjin, demand an answer. But Hyunjin's really focus on his game now he didn't even bother her question, "I guess Ryujin's right, then."

I laugh, "We're not."

This place starting to fill with customers as dinner time is approaching. Our talk shifted to girls talk again between me and Yuna, with Felix commenting it once or twice between his eating, while Hyunjin's still here focusing on his game. I don't know either why he's still here, though. He's not responding our talk either. Even until Yuna and Felix saying goodbye. They ended up going home together, something's suddenly happened with the car and her driver said he need to take care of it, she said. But I doubt it. It might be Yuna who cancelled it just to make Felix takes her home tonight. The boy looks fine with it.

"When exactly you planning to go home?" I finally asked Hyunjin.

"In a bit." He still focusing on his game while I shaking my head.

And I starting to get worry because today's the day. The due of our monthly debt, it's about the time the shark loan comes to get our money, and I would like it if Hyunjin's not here to see his presence.

"But... are you really need to do it?" He asked suddenly without looking at me.

"Why not?" I know he's talking about our plan to trace the illegal questions Lia received.

"I thought you want to live quietly and just graduate from that school. You might get in trouble."

True.

"But I also want to do what's right...?"

"You surely want many things in life." He smile a little between the moves of his thumbs.

I smile too, although he didn't see it. "What do you want?"

He suddenly stop the movements of his thumbs, let his game character get shot and die while he freezing in an instant. It got him thinking.

Long.

He decided to turn his head and look at me. Silence and just look at me blankly. "I... don't really know..."

It brings a strange beat to my heart. His expression suddenly got serious and his eyes are confused for a little before it turn to calm again. 

-

_**-Hyunjin's PoV-** _

"For now I just want you to stay out of trouble." So that I can survive and stay alive, I add inside my head.

She's frowning her forehead in confused, somehow looks kind of taken aback too by my answer. Was it too much? Was my answer too much?

The door of this restaurant open abruptly with a loud sound, "I'm here, Ahjussi!"

I turn my head in reflex upon hearing that familiar voice, the shark loan. As I predicted.

"You again. Are you really her boyfriend or what?" He said annoyed before sit in one of the table across us, lift up one foot and put it to another, glue his back to the chair. "Seol, serve me a bowl." He smile to her very pervertly, "You still on your school uniform, looks cute on you. Expensive uniform indeed suits you perfectly as you have nice body."

He is disgusting.

"You don't need to do what he asked." I whisper to her.

Her dad comes to him, put an envelope on the table, "Take this and leave this place quietly."

"Ah, Ahjussi. I'd like to have a bowl first. Ask your daughter to serve me." He glared at her dad to make him leave and do what he asked.

Seol stand up and I lift up my head to her but she ignored my pleading eyes. Just smiling at me before help her dad preparing the food.  
  


That makes me stay in full alert of what about to happen next. I feel like I'm holding my breath when she really bring his food and serve it on his table. I watching them focusly with both of my eyes, unknowingly glaring at him all the time she's there. I saw him intentionally touch her skin around her wrist but she shook it away fast, while he just smiling at it, enjoying her nervousness.

I really want to punch him real hard.

Seol leave after saying 'enjoy your food' and bow at him. I notice again how he still looking at her back with that smile. That mischievous pervert smile of him.

He is really disgusting. How can Seol hold it in all this time? It must be terrifying for her. Seeing how she's shivering after leaving that man prove it. She's terrified.

But I relieved that nothing's happen tonight. She can relax a bit for another month, right? God, why she gotta live like this? Always in alert, feeling relieved for awhile before getting tense again at the end of the month. Should she really going through this again and again for the rest of her life? I get it now why she want to change her life so bad. She want to make money, big amount of money and get out of this suffocating life.

She needs to breathe properly and be comfortable while living her life.

"Want to take some fresh air?" I asked her quietly.

Her eyes wavering while looking at me, she nodded her head then. I take a glance at her dad and he nod his head as an approval.

We go outside, walking slowly circling this neighborhood in silence. Should I hug her to make her feel better? Or is hug a bad idea instead? She must feel afraid of someone touching her, right? In the end, I just looking at her one at a time to check her mood from her expressions.

She stop walking suddenly to take a deep breath, closing her eyes and breathing deep for a couple times.

"I don't want you to see that." She said with her eyes closed. "It was embarassing."

I gulping down. "Let's report him."

"Money." She open her eyes, "I just need money. Many of it."

Why I have no money now?

"I..."

"Not your money." She cut my sentence. "Not my friends' money too. I don't want it."

I look away miserably. She reminds me of myself. My old self, the one who's dead already. I didn't take their money even when they insisted. This strange pride of mine really didn't allowed me to take it. I don't want to be pitied, that must how she feels too. Her friends surely would give her that money easily. It's her pride that rejected it.

Why life is cruel like this? Or is it our fault because we have too much pride like this?

"You want a hug instead?" I asked that unknowingly. "I can give it to you right now."

She just staring at me.

"Are you scared?"

I feel like I can hear a clock tickling, waiting her reply.

"Say stop if you don't want it." I step forward to her. One step at a time until I'm right in front of her.

I circle my hands around her slowly, she still not saying anything so I take her to my arms completely. Hug her carefully, hoping it give her strength and safeness. Or at least a place to rest a bit from everything she went through all this time.

I hear her sobbing after awhile, her body starts to shaking too. She's crying so I pat her back softly.

"I'm afraid." She said in the middle of her sobbing. "I hate those eyes." She's sobbing harder her shoulders start to moving up and down.

"Sure you are."

Or I can be a place where she can pour out all of her emotions and feelings. To validate all of her emotions, the good and the bad. Make her comfortable to put away her mask she kept wearing all day.

"Seol!" She turn away to look at me. "Don't lose your phone. Always take it with you wherever you are."

She's blinking her swollen eyes at me.

"And long press number 1 if I'm not around when you're afraid."

She smile without telling me if she understand or willing to do what I asked her. Saying, "Take care of your way home." instead before get inside.

I'm not saying that to be romantic, I just want her to know that I'll be there when she need me. Or is that the point of being romantic? I just want her to keep alive until I pass this test, though.

Is that really the only thing that I want?

_Thank you_

I received a chat from her not long after I got home, and reply:

_Long press number 1_

She did what I told her, her name appear on my phone now bring a smile to my face.

"Good job." I said after I picked up her call.

"Really thank you."

"If you're thankful, remember what I told you. Whenever you're afraid, long press number 1. Okay?"

Long pause before she hum, "Good night." then disconnect the call even before I reply her goodnight, too. So I text her instead.

_Good night and sleep tight, Seol!_

I sent the message and smile right before Jisung name appear at the front screen of my phone. I lift up my face to his bed across mine, we're both sleep on the upper part of bunk-bed, so I can see him clearly to his side looking at me with a grinning face.

"I just made you my number 1, too." He whisper while shaking his phone at me, teasing me.

I grab a pillow and throw it at him, hitting his face precisely, "Sleep."

He whimpering in shock and pain, but laughing after that.

"Keep quiet, kids." Changbin said suddenly in his sleeping.

-


	8. Chapter 8

We both staring at each other awkwardly. Surprising, though? I thought she hates me so much that she'd looking down at me with her tacky smile, but she's not. She's looking at me rather guilty, though? Why?

And she follow me without much questions when I asked her to talk in a quiet place. And she looks different from that day when she caused trouble in a hallway. Is something happened to her?

We get inside the empty basketball gymnasium, sit on the bleachers near the entrance. For the next seconds we just facing the empty court not saying anything. She's spacing out with her thinking while I try to collect the braveness in me to really start what I planned to say with the others yesterday.

"Sorry." Another surprised, she speak up first, and asked for forgiveness?

I got a little taken aback so I turn my head right to look at her.

"For what happened at the hallway."

"I didn't do what you talked about."

"Yeah, I just confirmed it too."

"The others also didn't know about it." Well, except Lia.

"I know. I just know it too. That day, I really... accused you all without thinking, without confirming anything."

"How you confirming it, though?"

She smile a little, "My parents. I received those questions from them."

I got silence for awhile, "Can you... ask your parents too how to get that?"

Now she's the one who turning her head to me.

"I kind of... need it."

She's thinking, "It might cost big amount of money."

"I'll work on it... I really need it. This semester... is messed up. If my grades fall down, I might drop out of here." I'm stuttering a little. I know this is just an act, but imagining that happen to me for real, it really frightening, "I know you're wishing me to get out of here, I'm a parasite..." I smile helplessly a little, "...but I'm desperate that I asking this to you. When you mentioned that thing... It feel like an open door to help me."

She just looking at me in silence.

"I want to keep being here. I should graduate from here and get a scholarship to college. I can't go to college without a scholarship, I have not much of money now. I should go to college to make money later. I really... desperate." Why I feel like crying, though?

I cried so much last night at Hyunjin's arms, and I thought that's enough. But why I want to cry again now after saying that fact about my miserable self?

"I got to save my future." I turn myself to the court right when Chan walk inside from the player's locker room.

He's on his basketball uniform already, dribbling the ball in a very relax way until he stand on one corner of the field. He spot us right away. It used to be him alone here at this hour today. Being a manager makes me know a little about the boys' schedule, and Chan said he always practice alone for one or two hours at Tuesday. So I'm using my best card now. Everyone knows Riahn likes Chan and has been following him around for awhile, so I did this.

I see her watching Chan who start to stretching focusly. And I wait. I keep my silence and wait.

"You brought me here on purpose?" She said without looking away from him.

"Hm. I'm using my one and only card now."

She chuckled alone and touch her back to the chair, getting more relax. Chan is running circling the court now, in the slow steady pace, not bothering us a little bit.

"Ah, he's annoyingly handsome." She humming alone, sounds really annoyed.

I let out a little laugh, but holding it down to not let the sound heard and disturbing Chan's practice. "And I have nothing to do with him. I become this team' manager just for the money."

She shift her gaze to me finally, "I don't believe you. Everybody likes him."

I smile and laugh without a sound again, "I like someone else, though." My heart beats a little faster after I said that. And somehow Hyunjin's face appear in my mind. His face that looking at me so intense while he get closer to hug me last night.

Stop it, Seol.

So I blink rapidly.

"Who?" Riahn smiling too now, looks convinced by my statement.

"I'll tell you if I get those questions."

"Ah..." She sighing and back to keep her eyes on Chan. "You're a good deal-maker."

"Yeah?" I laugh it off alone. I still can't believe with what I'm doing that's why I laughing it off.

Will I do this too if I have money like her, though? I mean, searching up the questions like this, will I do that if I have money in my hands?

"I'll ask my parents about it. You made me feel good today, so I'll help you." She smiles, still focusing on Chan who now start practicing his shooting. "And I'm sorry."

I smile when she glance at me, "I'm waiting for the good news, okay? Now I'm going first, enjoy your sightseeing." I stand up and walk away to the opposite direction to not disturbing her from watching Chan.

I found Hyunjin outside, standing with his back touching the wall, and it makes my feet stop moving in an instant.

"You want to practice, too?"

"Once a week of hell is enough." He grumble alone. He looks still kind of regret his decision to join the team because Chan and the others forced him.

It makes me smiling thinking about the suffering he should've gone through and endure in every practices. Because surprisingly, his stamina is the lowest among all of them. His techniques and skills are good, stamina is one issue he need to working on, surprisingly.

"Ryujin asked me to guard you."

I let a little laugh, "What are you? Bodyguard?" I start to walk again, approaching him.

"Cooler than that, I'm a guardian angel." We walk side by side leaving this place.

"Like an Archangel?" I play along with him.

"Right, fall from heaven to protect certain someone."

"Archangel is expelled from heaven then fall down to earth, not to protect someone."

"Some of them like that, but that's not my case. I fall with certain task, to protect someone."

"Who?" I try to not sounds too hopeful, but I'm hoping it's me. I really hope it's me. Can I have something nice at least one in my life?

"Right now it's you. Be honored."

I smile alone, happy. "Thank you very much." I said very formally and bow at him to tease him.

"So don't forget to..."

"Long press number 1." I cut his words.

"Good girl, you learned fast."

I smile to him.

"So did the plan go well?"

"Looks like it went well. I use Chan's card, it should go well."

"Good, keep updating the progress to me."

"Why should I?" I laugh.

"So I can protect you better."

"This is nothing to be protective about, though."

"You don't know."

"You don't know it too."

"That's why it's better to not let our guard down."

"Oh, you play the role real good."

He just smirking, "I'm not playing around, though."

"Last place paying for tteokbokki, 1 2 3!" I running out of the blue, leaving him who shouting annoyingly behind me but start to running too.

And passing me in no time. I'm laughing then grab his backpack to slowing him down make him laughing too. We keep doing that while running, me grabbing his backpack, until we arrived at the street food cafe in front of our school where Ryujin, Chaeryeong, and Yuna are waiting already. We come inside in a rush, me still gripping his backpack while he trying to get away from it, laughing. And he succeed to break free from me in the last second, sit on one of the chair first before me, making the others frowning their forehead in disbelieve at our odd entrance.

Hyunjin is gasping for air, put his head on the table right away, tired. He really has low stamina. "Oh the air conditioner is really refreshing." He said in the middle of his hard breathing.

"Looking at how cheerful your entrance is, the plan went well, right?" Ryujin asked brightly. The others looking at me hopefully.

I nodding my head still steadying my breath. They screaming "Yes!" in unison upon seeing my answer.

"She'll ask her parents, so we just need to wait now."

"Good, now order something and eat it fast, I need to go to the academy right away." Chaeryeong said and Ryujin nodded her head. They go to the same academy and attend the same class, that's why.

"Ah, can we just hang out here until the soccer team finish practice?" Yuna whining suddenly while I order tteokbokki and some bungeoppang.

"Why should we?" Ryujin asked confused.

"So that I can go home with Felix again."

Chaeryeong and Ryujin sighing and rolling their eyes then not bothering Yuna anymore and eating their food instead, fast.

"I'll be here with you, Yuna."

She's cheering happily at my words.

"You're not forget my prize, right?" Hyunjin asked right after I sit back again.

"Of course! I always true to my words."

"So you guys really dating or what?" Chaeryeong asked nonchalantly before eat another tteokbokki, her eyes on the plate.

Our food come, pausing our conversation and I intended to let that question pass and forgotten just like that, but seems like Chaeryeong is not.

"Hellooo? No one answer my question...?" She asked not directly to me or Hyunjin, her question rather asked for anyone to answer. So she looking at me and Hyunjin back and forth to emphasize who she want the answer come from.

"Ask him." I said before start eating my food.

Chaeryeong shift her face to Hyunjin demand his answer, "Ask her."

Ryujin and Yuna laugh annoyingly at us. But Chaeryeong is patient enough to put her attention back at me, now demand an answer from me.

"He said he's my guardian angel."

They got silence for like a full second to process that information until Yuna ask, "What is that? Is that a higher level than boyfriend?"

"Higher than boyfriend but lower than soulmate?" Chaeryeong asked again.

"It's the most important role." Said Hyunjin suddenly.

"More important than boyfriend?" Ryujin confirming it but Hyunjin's not answering again.

"Ah, so are you her boyfriend or not?!" Chaeryeong gets upset so I laugh.

"I just want to protect her."

That statement make us silent again for another second, kind of awkward so the girls are eyeing each other to find a way to get through this situation.

"Ah, whatever. Let's just go, we're getting late." Ryujin surrender and drag Chaeryeong get out of here instead, leaving us. Me with a laugh on my face while Yuna frowning her forehead and whine, "You guys sacrificing me like this? That's too much!"

They arguing among themselves for awhile until Ryujin and Chaeryeong really leaving this place. I smiling at Hyunjin without I realized, somehow feeling blessed.

I used to feel uncomfortable when someone giving me help, I used to feel ashamed a lot, feeling embarassed and pathetic about myself when someone do this kind thing for me. But when he said that he's my guardian angel, I feel blessed. I'm happy and grateful. I just... happy that I keep smiling while watching him eating. He lift up his head at me and found me smiling so he smile along with me.

"This is delicious." He said quietly while chewing.

"Eat a lot." I nodded my head happily.

"Ah... I shouldn't be here now." Yuna mumbling alone to herself while stirring her food uninterested, regretting her choice to waiting for Felix.

-


	9. Chapter 9

**-Minho's PoV-**

"Ryujin moves." I heard Jeongin informed us from the audio stream, "Why she move now?" He's wondering.

No one knows. Ryujin is so random, I learned that since I became her Archangel this past weeks. She walks alone too much to random places, especially in golden hour. Her favorite place to wonder around alone is the lake park near her neighborhood, which also near the Han River. She looks like she was thinking about many things while sight-seeing, but I feel like she just enjoying that secret time with herself a lot. I saw her genuine smile often in those times, enjoying her solitude and her surrounding filled with nature. And she took a lot of pictures too. Sky, river, trees, flowers, humans, even puppies that passsing by, kids. She looks so contain and I learn that it's so beautiful of her, really genuine. Peacefully captivating.

I blink.

I land my sight everywhere, looking around then stare at the last spot she was standing just before she turned right to another alley a couple of seconds ago, but she's not there. I walk fast til the end of the alley, but still can't find her. She supposed to stay in her place, though. Yes, the girls are really doing their mission to found out the man behind those secret exam questions. Seol asked Riahn about it, and Riahn gave her informations days ago, already arranged the time and place right away for Seol to meet the man who promised to hand the questions directly to her in exchange with big amount of money.

Lia told us all about their plan. Seol will meet him in a quiet cafe with a secret recorder attached on her body to record every words that man saying to become an evidence later, while the girls will guarding her in disguise. Yeji and Hyunjin are sitting in one of the table in the same cafe with Seol, they are the first ring to inspect and watch everything that would be happening between Seol and the bad man. I don't know how Hyunjin involved with them, looks like he was there everytime the girls were making this plan, so they included him in the operation just like that. Besides, he kind of helpful, not gonna lie, he's actually a big help. His closeness with Seol is actually a big help for us. He become like an insider, giving us many details about the girls.

Lia is inside the cafe opposite from Seol, sitting with Bang Chan. She chose that cafe because it has black glass window so people can't see the inside of the cafe while she can see clearly what's happening on the street, even to Seol's table across the street, right beside the see-through window. A perfect spot to inspect everything, even record it with her newest edition high resolution camera. Bang Chan is with her just in case, another perfect decision she made, because the girls couldn't see them, so it's very safe for Lia to be with him who can guard and protect her all the way.

The remaining girls are waiting in some spots around the cafe. Ryujin is on the alley right beside the building, Yuna is on the alley behind it, and Chaeryeong in the street across the building, sitting on a cement-kind-of-chair under a big tree. It's not even a park but Changbin said she's enjoying her time sightseeing and people-watching while checking her phone every once in a while.

10 minute-ish to the actual meeting time for Seol and the bad man, and I just missed Ryujin's trace. Like Jeongin informed, she suddenly moved, walking away from her spot and turned right to another alley but nowhere to be seen now. I blink my eyes confused then turn around.

My heart feels like to stop when I see her there, standing near the turned off street light while watching me. Damn it.

I sometimes admire her braveness but afraid of it most of the times. She caught me.

"Everyone shut up, don't say anything. Minho got caught by Ryujin." Jeongin informed us in a really calm voice as that girl stepping towards me. Unlike Jeongin calm tone, my heart beats so loud I think the others might hear it from the speaker I put behind my jacket around my chest.

Ryujin's watching me with intense stare after we stand to each other, then without saying anything she snatched my hands-free and put it on her right ear, concentrate to hear anything. I hope Jeongin has time to put some music or whatever, but no, apparantly. Because Ryujin then get closer to me with my hands-free still on her ear, her hand reach out to me, but I'm quick to catch it.

"Stay still." She said very intimidatingly.

"That's rude."

"Well, following someone around is also rude. Stay still or I call the police and report you." She wonder her hands around me then, lift up my jacket almost take it off of me and found the speaker I clipped behind it.

Without take the speaker off of my jacket, she speak to it closing her mouth to my body, "Speak." She's waiting and speak again, "Hello?"

Seems like no one answer so she try to take it off for real, but her vibration on her phone distract her from doing it. She answer her call instead, her forehead turn to frowning deep in shock expression.

"Already?" She frowning her forehead shock. "Why they move?" She asked but then she turn around and walking fast to the cafe where Seol is right now, to the spot where she should be staying to spying on them, I follow her. "Alright, I got them, I'll follow them behind, just tell Yuna to record everything, I'll call Chaeryeong."

Something must happening as she instructed Chaeryeong in hurry from the phone, her tone match the rhytym of her walking to get to her original place.

"My hands-free is on Ryujin's pocket but my speaker is still on me. You guys can discuss as the usual, I'll keep updating the situation as best as I can." I whisper to the speaker while keep walking behind Ryujin who's hiding behind the wall to hide herself from Seol and tall man beside her. They walking further.

Ryujin put her phone inside her pocket after calling Chaeryeong then walking behind Seol and the tall man. They are still talking normally, Seol and him, like nothing dangerous would happen, just like a normal people talking about weather on the street, she even smile once in a while and commenting what the man said.

I study the man, though. From his back posture, I can't recall anyone from school at all, no teachers resembling him a little bit. Who is he?

I put my arm to Ryujin's shoulder when the man slightly look around him, glance a little to his back as he study his surrounding. I feel his curious glance at us so I fake a conversation with Ryujin, asking her if going to cinema first is better than doing her nails on the nail art salon.

She glare at me but still respon to my fake chit chat, acting it out until the man forgetting us to focus on Seol again. We keeping like that for awhile until they walking down to the subway.

"Why they go to the subway?" I asked to myself but also to inform everyone on the stream. Are they even pay attention? Do I even got backup now?

We keep walking. Me and Ryujin doesn't have a choice but enter the platform to not make any suspicion. They're heading to other direction, though. So I curse alone.

"Public locker?" Ryujin's staring back and forth at the direction board and them who now keep further away from us. "What the hell is Seol thinking?" She groaned upset.

I can feel her frightened now.

"Let's run." I said then start to run, we need to turn around to the opposite direction to get out of the platform to following them again, it's such a lot of work. And it started to feel nerve-wrecking somehow.

Ryujin's phone keep ringing so she answer it in the middle of our running, we slowing down a little bit as she informs her friends of our whereabout, decided to make them ask for help because her hunch told her so.

We hear screaming and run faster in reflex. Ryujin's screaming Seol's name right when we arrived at the last hallway full of lockers, seeing Seol strangled by the man. Hearing our screaming, the man pull out a really small folding knife aiming Seol's stomach but I kick his hand in time make the knife come off of his hand, fall down to the floor. But the motion still hurting Seol apparantly because she fall to the ground now, whimpering in pain while pressing her stomach. Meanwhile I'm battling with the man who trying to run away from us.

I try really hard to get his arm to keep it away from hitting me, but his movements are on another level. He's averting my every moves I feel so stupid doing this, it's like a useless effort, like I'm facing Jackie Chan who teach me some Kung Fu. And it all happens in very fast speed I can't see his hands anymore. He even hit me only with two of his fingers and it feels so painful, hit in the precise place of my blood circulation and joints muscle. I screams when it finally hit my neck left and right, makes me drop down to the floor helplessly, whimpering.

He take this chance to turn around and run away but he got kick in the face by Hyunjin. I take a deep breath as my effort to feel myself again, especially my neck, out of numbness. What the hell was that?

And for awhile, I can only look at them fighting, notice he do the same moves to Hyunjin and that new handsome kid avoiding it good for awhile, but in the end he got hit too. And ended up like me, crouching to the ground in pain.

"He's escape! Out of subway!" I scream my last energy before really laying down myself on the floor, hoping one of our member be there outside to catch him.

"HEY! HELP ME WITH SEOL!" Ryujin screamed at us so I force myself to get up, just like Hyunjin.

And Hyunjin carry her up without thinking, I see blood on her clothes around her stomach. Ryujin's on the phone calling I don't know who, maybe 911. But we all running in panic to get out of here.

-

  
"I'm alright now." I said it again to them who still gather around my bed. No one wants to move from their place, maybe they don't even think to go home at this rate. It's late though.

"Are you sure that's the only thing you talked about with him?" Ryujin making sure again.

I nod my head tiredly.

We really just talked about the casual things. He asked why I need these questions, about my grades, even gave me a long narration about how bad this thing I'm doing is. He kept smiling too, lead the conversation really well made me believe that he's a good man, made me think that he just a messanger to hand me the secret exam questions, not the actual mastermind of this thing. He might be is just a messenger.

But suddenly he asked who sent me, threatened me in the locker room, I thought he gonna hand me what I asked there, but he started to threatened me, forced me to confess to him and say anything. When I kept silence he gripped my neck hard just like that, I couldn't breath. He even pulled out a knife when he got impatient because I still didn't answered anything to his questions.

Until Ryujin came with Minho.

I don't know how, but she came with Minho, out of nowhere. The next scene I remember I was on the ground bleeding while Minho was fighting with that man, followed by Hyunjin not long after. It all happened so fast for me, and I was on Hyunjin's arms once again, then here at the hospital with stomach already bandaged. All the girls are here when I open my eyes feeling the anesthetic lost its magic on me. I started to feel pain around my stomach, but miraculously can talked about what I remember to them before the memories got tangled up in my mind. That's Ryujin's method, after experiencing a sudden attack, we better talk about it as soon as possible while our memories still clear. Because it would fade away fast as self-protection to our brain for not keep remembering it and turn it into trauma.

"Who is he really?" Yuna wondering again, already asked that question many times.

But we all have no idea, a little bit. So we ended up in silence again. Lia is the one who looks like thinking so hard about this, but nothing comes out of her mouth, only sighing. Then look at me in a very apologetic face. And she did saying sorry a couple times, and I told her to stop it many times as well.

"Why were you with Minho, though?" I asked Ryujin, finally drifted our attention to another weird and confusing part of this commotion.

At this point, everything is confusing already. It's like a puzzle, or a maze.

"About that... I need to confirm something to him first before I told you all about it."

I nod, "Go home, then. It's late and you guys have to go to school tomorrow. I'm fine now, really. Get some rest, we'll talk about this again tomorrow."

"Seol's right. And she need to rest too to be recovered fast." Chaeryeong said, finally someone on my side.

"This is too frightening, can we stop doing it, guys?" Yuna asked softly. I still feel her trembling.

"Let's discuss it again tomorrow." I said to her, pouting my lips at her who looks like about to faint anytime soon.

"I'm glad that Hyunjin chased you, really." Yeji mentioned before we dismissed, "I was close to prevent him to go, but I changed my mind and just let him go to you." She sighed in relieved.

"Thank you so much, Yeji." We're hugging tight.

"We'll come again tomorrow after school." Lia finally say something other than sorry to me.

The next scene playing is I'm hugging them one by one before they really get out of this room.

I'm expecting my dad come inside after their leaving, but it's Hyunjin instead. "And why are you still here, too? It's late! Go home and rest."

"Ah, they taking too long, I want to see you once as well before I leave."

I sigh and move carefully to fully laying on my back. My stomach still feel painful because of the wound, so...

"Thanks, anyway."

"Why you went with him, though?"

I'm biting the inside of my lips, "I didn't feel him as a bad person before he suddenly threatened me at the subway. He seemed like a good guy, really."

Hyunjin just sighing deep to hold his anger. I feel like he want to nag at me a lot about it, but since I still laying helplessly like this, he don't do that in the end.

"But, are you okay? What about Minho?" I look at bruises on his faces.

"Are you seriously asking that now? Mind your own condition for once, please. Stop worrying about the others for once. You worth all the attention and careness, too. Stop saying you're okay all the time, really."

I'm staring at him surprised. "But I'm okay now... though."

He hiss annoyed. He chuckles, "I go, then." He stand up and walk away.

"I did remember to call you... long press number 1."

He stop walking away and turn around to look at me again.

"But I have no time to reach my phone, so..." pause, "Take care on your way home." Finally I just end the talk with a soft tired smile. I really am tired now.

He show a little smile too, "See you tomorrow." He said before really step outside the room and smile to, I assume, my dad.

I smile when I finally see him on the door. We're hugging right away before he tell me to sleep.

-


End file.
